In Luke’s gospel, there is a riveting account of ten lepers who had an encounter with Jesus. Luke 17:11-19 tells the reader that these lepers came to Jesus and asked him to heal them. If you know the story well, you know that Jesus, without hesitation, healed them all. There are so many teaching points in this one passage, i.e., the power of healing, healing without partiality, God’s willingness to heal, etc. But one truth that stands out is that of thankfulness (or rather, the lack of it!) Sadly, only one of those ten lepers returned to thank Jesus for his healing. I find this astonishing. These men had a death sentence hanging over their heads. There was no cure for leprosy. It was probably the most horrific and demeaning way to die a slow death from any malady. Being a leper was equivalent to being an outcast from society and to be healed from such a disease was virtually incomprehensible. It would mean a second chance at life, a whole new beginning! Yet, only a tithe of this disdained group even thought to return and simply give thanks.

We have so much for which to be thankful. Prit still sits in wonder and marvels at his second chance in life. He says he’s happy just to be here! The Lord has provided many narrow escapes for us in so many ways through the years. Because of all our ”deliverances”, whether from sicknesses or kidnappings, we are truly and profoundly thankful for God’s saving grace. But, not only are we thankful, we are more determined than ever to do the work to which God has called us. That means snatching more souls out of the devil’s hands, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, making disciples, training up leaders, plus a host of other things. And we want to say “thank you” once again to all of you that have placed your hands on the plow and promised to partner with us. We are doing great exploits together for God!

Dana