As we waited for Ricky to bring breakfast one morning, Stan commented, “I was reading in Luke’s gospel the other day and saw a simple statement about what someone did that seems to have application about how I praise God.”
“Praise God about what?”
“Anything and everything,” Stan replied.
“What were you looking at?”.
“Quick summary,” he said. “Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.”
“To go to the cross?”
“That’s right,” Stan said. “He was always on His way to the cross. That’s why He was here. As He was on His way, He encountered ten lepers who asked Him to have mercy on them.”
“Have mercy on them? You mean like curing them?” I replied. “Did He do that?”
“Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests,” Stan said, “and as they were going they realized that they were healed.”
“So the point is to do what Jesus says, is that it?”
“That’s another story for another day,” Stan replied. “Here I want to talk about the one guy who turned back to thank Jesus.”
“Only one thanked Him?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Stan replied, “That, too, is another story for another day! Here, the point is how he thanked Jesus.”
“How he thanked Him? What’d he do?”
“It says that he glorified God with a loud voice,” Stan said. “I think I’m supposed to do the same thing.”
“Glorify God with a loud voice? Why?”
“At least two reasons,” Stan replied. “First, I am to glorify God loudly enough so He can hear my praise and thanksgiving. Secondly, it seems that I am to glorify God loudly enough so the people around me can hear and know where I direct my praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving.”
“So that it might make a difference in their lives and relationship with God? Is that it?”
“That’s it,” Stan replied. “If I don’t praise and give glory to God loudly enough for them to hear, how are they going to know?”
“I guess they won’t,” I said.
“Good guess, my friend,” Stan replied with a smile.
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Bible verses to consider:
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. Luke 17:15-16.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for all you have done, and for all you do, for me. You have given me life eternally with you. You provide all I need to live this life for you and your kingdom. I confess that too often I do not thank and glorify you in the way I should. Please forgive me. Help me to follow every step of your lead so I do, in fact, give you all praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving to you in ways that are loud enough for you to hear and know what’s on my heart. Help me to speak it loudly enough so those around me hear and know that I am focusing on you and your provision so that it may make a difference in their relationship with you. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you accepted God’s free and gracious provision of life eternally with Him so you can and do give Him all the glory for what He has done? If no, why do you want to remain separated from God? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with giving God praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving in ways that are loud enough for Him to hear, as well as loudly enough for those around you to hear? If you sense the need for change in any of this, how is that change going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 