DATE POSTED: Thursday, July 6, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Chiefland, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

By Ed Algreen

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN Luke 17:12-18

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: ….. ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, sir, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go to the Jewish priest and show him that you are healed!” And as they were going, their leprosy disappeared. One of them came back to Jesus, shouting, “Glory to God, I’m healed!” 16 He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?”

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: How often do we run like a dog with its tail between its legs when we feel like we are unwanted, rejected, or frowned upon? Yet these ten lepers deliberately placed themselves in the path of Jesus, knowing that He is the only One that could heal them, and/or restore their self-respect to help them feel accepted by society once more. Today, I believe that we have a few lessons to learn from this encounter!

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: What are some things that might make you feel guilty of being rejected by those you come into contact with? Perhaps dirty, even though no one else but you know that the dirt is on you? Perhaps smelly, even though you alone are conscious about not having a bath as frequently as you normally would? Perhaps guilty, even though most people don’t know the activities you were involved in the night before? But what if you had to stay outside the city gates, or in our case today, perhaps you are ordered to live segregated in a community of persons with known communicable diseases? What if you were ordered to identify your disease anytime a well person came within, say 25′ of you? And what if you heard that the one person in the world who could help restore your health, would be passing near enough that you could place yourself in his presence, would you do it? Friends, as you think about these things, I pray that God will remind you of the times that you found petty excuses why you couldn’t, or wouldn’t, force yourself to worship together with other believers, or be concerned enough about others that you would join together with other believers in praying for their needs, or celebrating their victories. Or perhaps you are not giving priority to meditating on God’s Word and conversing with Him on a daily basis. I sometimes ponder what our plight might be if God allowed Jesus to make the excuses that we often make. Another interesting point in this story lies with the fact that these men didn’t send a message to the leading priests of their day asking for prayer, but they were bold enough to place themselves before the only One who could possibly heal them of their disease. But oh dear friend of God, notice that when Jesus saw these suffering lepers, He didn’t choose to turn away, or feel superior to them in any way. In spite of obvious objections by those who accompanied Him, yet Jesus wanted to help these men, and He did. Isn’t it sad that our church leaders. relatives or friends today easily find excuses why they can’t visit us at home, or even in the hospital, even though we are seldom ever burdened with a communicable disease like leprosy? Please also stop and consider that Jesus healed all ten lepers – Jew and Gentile. We must be careful to never find ourselves locked in the four walls of our church, and think that God is only interested in me, my two, and no more. God created us all, and He sent His Son that whosoever believes in Him, would have eternal life and live with Him forever in heaven. There is no way that we should try to filter that to include only a certain few. On the matter of saying thank you, I have been in prayer meetings where the needs requiring prayer were at least as serious as the need of the lepers, and we prayed our hearts out for those needs. Wouldn’t you think that the praise and thanksgiving part of our service should almost raise the roof when we hear the reports of how Jesus healed and restored people? One leper, a Gentile, the unlikely one, returned to thank Jesus for healing him. Do you suppose we have learned to do any better over all the years of celebrating the truths of God’s Word and the victories won in so many instances? Jesus had a story to tell, and as we’ve had yet another opportunity to remind ourselves of His miraculous works in the lives of what appears to be the most unlikely of His kids, I pray that lessons would be learned that would prompt us to search for the heart of Jesus every day, so that we might respond to life’s situations in His likeness, and not that of this wicked world.

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: Only one leper returned to give thanks to the Lord for his healing. Hopefully we will follow the example of that one, and not the other nine that went on, ungrateful to their Healer and Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord Jesus, it seems so true that many of us will not look up to you until we are laid on our backs of affliction with no other choice but to look up. This same principle seems normal for some who attend church only when things are not going well, or there is a desperate need in their life. Oh, Lord Jesus, please help every reader and listener to join me in desiring relationship with You, and not just look to You as a Santa Clause or sugar daddy to fill our needs when they occur and/or when we ask for Your help. Although the ten were instructed to show themselves to the priest for their official clearance back into their community, there was one who chose to do nothing more until having thanked his Healer. Every day we are blessed by You in many ways. Please help us to not be a people willing to beg, but not offer up our praise and thanksgiving to the One responsible for our blessings. Thank You Lord for Your unselfish sacrifice on the cross, and for all that You do for all Your children that far exceeds anything we deserve. Please draw us into relationship where we might not only seek Your healing touch, but also discuss our highs and lows of each day and always thank You for the part we are convinced that You played in our day. Many that we know need You Lord, may they see such awesome reflection in our lives of the One who saved us, that they will know first-hand what that new relationship will be like. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home near by your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!