GRATITUDE AND WORSHIP

Giving thanks expresses what ought never to be absent from our devotions. A grateful acknowledgment of God's tender mercies should always be present in our walk of faith.

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”  Luke 17:11-19

This leper was walking away with the other nine when the miracle took place. All of them saw that they had been healed, but he was impacted not so much by the healing ... as by the Healer.

MacArthur - You see in this man trust and gratitude and humility and commitment and love and praise and worship, all components of a faith that's way beyond the other nine. It's a faith that embraces Jesus as God, as Lord. It's a faith that bows humbly in recognition of one's lowliness in His presence. It's a faith that Jesus says 'saves'.

During Christ's earthly ministry, many basked in the wonder of His teachings and the miracles wrought by His hand; but only a few came, fell at His feet, worshiped Him as God, and offered sincere thanks. Most were content with a 'quick fix', which is temporal ... unconcerned about the eternal.  

You may recognize that God has blessed your life; you may even be moved to a certain degree when you hear the Gospel message ... but in the end, not possess the gift of salvation. Folks lightly say, 'Thank God that I'm healthy', 'Thank God that I have my children', 'Thank God for my job', etc. ... and though this all sounds reverential, the truth is that you can say these things and still not know Him. Your words ring hollow for they fail to display the worship due our Lord. 

The Samaritan fell on his face before Jesus Christ and embraced Him as Lord and Savior. 

Compare your faith to his.