November 24 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Luke 17:11–19

Devotional

Ten lepers were healed, but only one came back to give thanks to the Lord Jesus. “Where are the nine?” Oh, they are at home and they are so happy. But unfortunately that is not thankfulness. It is evident that there are more prayer days than thanksgiving days in the lives of most people. And even our prayer days only come along when we need God for our temporal needs, for our bread, for our prosperity. We may have a desire for the goods of the world, but such desires will never lead to true thankfulness. Yet, the Lord will ask us what we have done with all the blessings we have received.

Are we not forgetful? Our memory suffers immensely due to sin. How hardened we are! The Lord grants us one blessing after another, and yet we do not take notice at all. How foolish man is! How foolish these nine were! They were satisfied with the gift of their health as if that was all they needed. This is how man lives with the gifts he receives from God in his life when God’s Spirit does not illumine his mind. He lives as if he will live forever with these gifts, and as if he will never have to die. May the lesson of the lepers be for our personal instruction; it is for our warning. It is to show each of us the right way. It is to show us that by nature we belong to the nine and that it would be a great miracle if we would be the one who returned in thankfulness.

What have you done with God’s goodness? Are you thankful that the Lord in His longsuffering spared you and carried you? The Lord wants to know. Are you drawn to fall before Him in thankfulness? You can be so carried away with all your prosperity that it leads to your damnation. Prosperity itself does not do this; the blessings of heaven do not do this; but man does this with his sinful and forgetful heart.

Christ said to the ten lepers: “Go,” but He did not say, “And remember to come back.” The Lord desires a willing people in the day of His power. They will not be forced back; He desires that they come back out of love. It is love that will not let the Giver go without giving thanks; yet the Lord waits.

Oh, that our eyes would be opened to see that we are obliged to Him who was not obliged to give any blessings to us! We are indebted to God not only because of our sins but also because of the honor we owe Him. There is a book of debt with God which is still open; and there is the command to remember His goodness and to give thanks to the Lord. God is entitled to this. God the Father has the right to demand. He says in His Word, “Where is my honor?” Our misery is that we are unable to bring ourselves to honor Him. We give thanks with our lips, but only when there is a work in our heart do we quickly learn to see that we have our own heart against us. We need God to overcome our evil, forgetful heart. Let us become desirous to give God the honor due to His name.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.