11月19日

標 題：感恩

經 節：內中有一個見自己已經好了，就回來大聲歸榮耀與神，又俯伏在耶穌腳前感謝祂；這人是撒馬利亞人。（路加福音十七章15一16節）

感恩是基督徒生活的基礎。感恩是一種自覺的反應，是超越看到自己的蒙福，而看到那位賜福者。身為基督徒，我們已蒙赦免，由死亡中被救贖出來，成為神的兒女。再也沒有比這一點更值得感恩的理由！

痳瘋病患是當時被社會遺棄的一群人。他們感染的是高接觸傳染性疾病，以致必須與所愛的隔離。他們苦苦哀求耶穌憐憫他們，耶穌要他們去給祭司察看。他們順服去做的時候，就得了醫治！這十個長大痳瘋的人，過去被禁止進入自己的村莊，不可進入自己的家，也不可從事自己原有的工作，甚至不准去觸摸自己的兒女。想想看，當他們能夠再次回到家裡，那感受是多麼激動喜悅！

這些痳瘋病人中的一位跑回來向耶穌道謝，這位病人是撒馬利亞人。猶太人通常是遠遠避開撒馬利亞人，而耶穌居然醫治了他！耶穌問：「其他的人去哪裡了?」有十個痳瘋病人同時得醫治，他們為新得的健康歡樂，興奮地分享這大好消息，但只有一位想到那祝福的源頭，願意稍稍停留，向賜予健康的那一位敬拜及感恩。

我們也一樣，我們已經被救贖主醫治，成為完全。我們自由地享受救贖主所恩賜的豐盛生活，但我們是否像那九個痳瘋病人，興沖沖地宣揚自己所得到的祝福，卻未曾駐足感謝救贖主的恩典?神等著我們獻上感恩。我們的敬拜、禱告、事奉和每日的生活，應該被我們對神的感恩所充滿（腓立比書四：6）。

Thanksgiving

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15-16)

Thankfulness is foundational to the Christian life. Thankfulness is a conscious response that comes from looking beyond our blessings to their source. As Christians, we have been forgiven, saved from death, and adopted as God’s children. There could be no better reason for a grateful heart!

Lepers in Jesus’ day were social outcasts. Their highly contagious condition ostracized them from those they loved. When ten lepers encountered Jesus, they desperately implored Him to show them mercy. Jesus sent them to the priest. As they obeyed, they were healed! These ten men had been forbidden to enter their own villages, to live in their own homes, to work in their own jobs, or even to touch their own children. Imagine what unrestrained joy must have filled them as they ran back home again!

One of the lepers, a Samaritan, stopped and ran back to thank Jesus. Samaritans were normally shunned by the Jews, but Jesus had healed him! Jesus asked him, “Where are the others?” Ten lepers had been healed. Ten lepers were reveling in their newfound health. Ten men were joyfully rushing to share the good news with those they loved. But only one considered the Source of that blessing and stopped to thank and worship the One who had given him back his life.

We, too, have been healed and made whole by the Savior. We are free to enjoy the abundant life the Savior has graciously given us. Could we, like the nine lepers, rush off so quickly to glory in our blessings without stopping to thank our Redeemer? God looks for our thanks. Our worship, prayers, service, and daily life ought to be saturated with thanksgiving to God (Phil. 4:6).