Grateful For Grace

Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15-16)

“Ingrates” can really grate on our nerves! These are the folks who never seem to say thank you. Maybe they weren’t taught to say “please” and “thank you” and to show good manners. Perhaps they were forced to say these things as children and never really meant them, vowing never to say these things when they grow up!
Have you ever helped someone, interrupting your schedule, sacrificing time and resources, only to have them never say, “thank you”? Pretty painful, huh? Yet, if this is someone you care deeply about, you continue to give and serve and help in the face of ingratitude. Now you know how God feels. The painful truth is that I am all too often an ingrate. Sometimes I don’t give thanks to God. The self realization of being an ingrate is painful for me to face.
Understanding that I am not alone in my human condition helps. The scripture we deal with today is in the context of Jesus healing some lepers. How could a healed leper ever forget to say thank you?

I. WE CAN BE TOO FAMILIAR WITH GOD’S GRACE TO BE GRATEFUL. Growing up in a godly home has great advantages. We can know how godly people are supposed to act. We can see that faith is real in the real world. But growing up in a godly home can also have its drawbacks. We can be raised with our parents’ faith and be sheltered under their personal relationship with God. It is possible to grow up in a godly home and never encounter a personal God. We can be too familiar with His grace to never experience it for ourselves. What became of those other nine who were healed?
II. WE CAN BEGIN TO BELIEVE WE’RE ENTITLED TO GRACE AND FEEL NO NEED TO BE GRATEFUL. When we've experienced God's blessings in abundance we can easily take God for granted. We come to the place that we expect it and no longer marvel at it. We can think that God is obligated to act on our behalf. A sense of entitlement is dangerous in our spiritual lives. We exist only by the grace of a merciful God.
III. ONLY THE ONE WHO KNOWS THEIR GREAT NEED FOR GRACE CAN FULLY APPRECIATE IT. …when he saw that he had been healed… describes one who knew what he needed. Only those who are aware of their condition are attentive to God’s grace being given to them. This man was an outcast. But even a Samaritan was not excluded from God’s grace.
IV. OFTEN WE ARE HEALED “ON THE WAY” AFTER WE OBEY GOD'S COMMAND. Obedience to God will heal us. The first step after we hear God’s voice begins the journey to our restoration. We are to obey even when it seems pointless.