Date: Tuesday, 30th July, 2024
Text: Luke 17:11-19
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
Sometimes we become so used to certain interventions of God that we take them for granted. We become so used to God’s house that we approach it casually and without the necessary reverence.
As Jesus went along, as usual, the people were crowding him from every side and touching him casually but a woman gave him a different touch. This woman had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years; she had spent all she had on doctors, but no one had been able to cure her. She came up in the crowd behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and her bleeding stopped at once- Luke8:42-45. She gave Jesus a touch of faith and she drew power out of Him.
Some wonder why they remain the same after a church service- one of the reasons could be that you did not enter the service with faith and expectation- you entered casually and ended up having no personal encounter.
Familiarity, they say breeds contempt. Jesus could not do any miracle in his home town, except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them; because his people had lost respect for his anointing- Mark 6:4-13.
Many folks become so used to calling God’s name that they often call his name in vain even when cracking jokes. Therefore, the name of Christ has lost his power in the mouth of such people even when they pray.
A great number of Christians these days have become so used to testimonies that when people share their testimonies they are no longer moved to praise God.
In today’s text, ten lepers cried to Jesus for mercy and they were cleansed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan .Jesus spoke up, “There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine? Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?” Luke 17: 11-19
The nine other lepers felt entitled to those miracles and they took Jesus’ miracle for granted. Unknowing to them they had become hardened in their hearts and had lost the sensitivity of gratitude.
Beware of hardness of the heart which could creep in gradually.
Prayer Nugget: Father, by your Spirit, help my heart to be soft and remain so in Jesus name.