"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Knowing that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins so that we would not have to pay the penalty ourselves, should engender a response of love and devotion to the Lord. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Jesus experienced various responses from the many people that He healed and delivered from sickness and sin.
For instance, Jesus entered a certain village near the border of Samaria and Galilee on His way to Jerusalem and there met ten leperous men (Luke 17:11-19). They cried out to Him saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." They were asking Jesus for help that they knew they did not deserve, for that is the very nature of mercy. Jesus responded to them saying, "Go show yourselves unto the priests."
First of all, these men were obviously aware of the power Jesus possessed to heal them from leprosy. His reputation preceded Him. Therefore, they exhibited faith by seeking for healing from Him. Anyone who truly seeks for mercy from God, will always receive it. Jesus did not immediately heal them though, but waited for them to respond to His commandment to go to the priests. Of course, this was in accordance with the Levitical Law, which stated that the healing of lepers must be verified before they would be accepted back into society. At that time lepers lived in colonies separated from society because of the contagious nature of that disease. The Scriptures record that all ten lepers began to go to the priests in obedience to Jesus before they were actually healed, for it states that "as they went, they were cleansed." Remember that obeying the Word of God always produces a powerful experience in our lives. So true faith produces obedience to God. Anyone can claim to have faith in God, but only those who obey His Word actually possess faith.
Sadly the Scriptures state that only one of those lepers that were healed "turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God." Not only did he show appreciation to God by worshipping Him, he also "fell down on his face at His feet." This was an act of submission. In other words, after this man received healing from the Lord, he humbly gave his heart and life to Him. This should be the response of every individual who receives mercy and grace from God. Unfortunately, as stated before, many people receive blessings from the Lord and then leave Him instead of devote their lives to Him. Many try to make Jesus the Savior of the souls, but not the Lord of their lives. This is tragic indeed.
Jesus said unto this ex-leper, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." But he said unto the one that did give God the glory, "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." We should always seek God to meet our every need, but not just the physical and temporal ones. This man was made "whole," which means he received physical and spiritual blessings that were both temporal and eternal. Praise God!
This man wanted and received by faith all that God offered him, but the other nine only received healing for their bodies. This man received cleansing for his soul and was given eternal life as well. The Lord wants to relieve the suffering and oppression in your life too. But He also wants to save your soul and give you an abundant life. If you will go to Him in faith and surrender your life to Him, He will give you blessings untold.
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