Only One Returned: The Gratitude Jesus Notices
No matter their condition, God had already done so much that they praised him for it ongoingly day in and day out.
Only One Returned
Play the original Excel Still More episode here without leaving the article.
Begin with the truth
If you are one of the truly wonderful people who have reached out to me, sent emails, Facebook messages, phone calls, and just expressed your thankfulness or shared your story or let me be a part of helping you through some problem, I genuinely am thankful for everyone's kindness, and it really does brighten my day to think about your support. Listen, I like to talk about gratitude on this program.
This will be the third episode specifically designed to make you think through how content you are with the good things in your life and how often you return thanks to God or others for what you already have, not in anticipation for something more, nor out of some obligatory response, but a genuine emotion of appreciation.
What this reveals about God
Ralph was actually on the Florida College campus on September the 21st, giving a chapel talk on the topic of gratitude, and he shared three stories, and I have thought about them every day. The third one that he told comes straight from scripture, and that's where our title is derived, Only One Returned.
So as you are listening to these other two events, try to figure out where in Jesus' life we will be reading.
Let faith take root
So there you have it ten men with a deadly disease, nearly no hope, separated from the ones that they loved, sent on a mission by Jesus and cleansed along the way, and yet only one returned to give thanks to Jesus, to glorify God. It is interesting that Luke points out that one of the men was a Samaritan, perhaps the other nine were Jews, which brings me back around to thinking that sometimes there is a sense of entitlement, maybe even pride, that goes along with not being thankful to others.
Maybe you didn't deserve what had gone wrong, so why would you thank people for making it better?
Respond in daily life
And maybe as we get toward the end of this episode, that's where you should begin your journey to greater gratitude. In the way that you interact with God every day, in the way that you speak with him about everything he has done, none of which are you worthy to have, not a one of the good gifts.
Maybe it's not everything everyone else has, hopefully it's not that you feel entitled to more, but God has already done so much.
Take the idea with you.
- 01Where do I see the problem or opportunity described in “Only One Returned: The Gratitude Jesus Notices” in my own life?
- 02What Scripture or spiritual principle in this study most needs my attention?
- 03What one specific change can I make this week to put this teaching into practice?
Prefer listening?
The original episode player is available near the top of this article, so you can listen without leaving the page.