thanksgiving – Highway of Love

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29, NIV)

For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him… to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20, Amplified)

And without faith it is impossible to please Him… (Hebrews 11:6, NASB)

Today is Thanksgiving! We give thanks to God for all that He has done in our nation and in our lives. We give thanks for all the good things and wonderful people in our lives. All good things come from God above (James 1:17). So we thank Him for the good in our lives.

I had an interesting Thanksgiving moment today. As I was busy running around the house preparing things for our Thanksgiving celebrations, I happened across some scriptures I had posted around the house. There were six scriptures on one piece of paper. Three scriptures each for two promises God has made in His word to me. Two promises that I have not seen come to pass in my life yet.

I read the scriptures. They stirred my faith (Romans 10:17). I smiled and then I said these words to God, “Thank You”.

I found myself thanking Him for something I haven’t seen yet. Simply having His Word on the matter settles it so much in my heart, that I already have a thankful, a grateful heart for things I haven’t seen yet. I haven’t touched yet. I haven’t enjoyed yet.

That’s faith. That’s believing without seeing. I am blessed. I pleased Him today.

So this Thanksgiving let us thank Him for all that He has done and let us thank Him for His promises to us, that are as good as done, because He said He would do it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this Thanksgiving Day I want to take a look at the account of the ten lepers that were healed in Luke 17 (KJV).

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priest. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Now, I’d like to take a moment and look at three Greek words here. The first is ‘katharizo’ which is translated as the English word ‘cleansed’ twice in this passage. It means to make clean or to cleanse, to purge or purify.

The second word is the Greek word ‘iaomai’ translated as the word ‘healed’. It means to cure, heal, make whole.

And finally one of my favorite Greek words, ‘sozo’ which is translated here as the word ‘whole’. Recently I listened to Billye Brim teach on the Hebrew word ‘shalom’ which means peace. The definition she gives for this word is “completeness, wholeness, nothing missing and nothing broken; the peace that comes from being whole.” She said that the same concept is carried over into the New Testament in the Greek word ‘sozo’.

So why use three different words in this passage. It says that these leper were cleansed.Then it says one saw that he was healed. Then it said that the one who returned to give thanks was made whole.

While the ten were cleansed and healed, only the one that returned to give thanks was made whole. He alone walked away with the peace the comes from having nothing missing and nothing broken in his life. He alone walked away not just cleansed and healed, but with the peace, the wholeness, that Jesus alone can give.

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my nation and those fighting for her freedom. I am thankful for so many things in my life today. But let us not forget to be thankful for the one that died for us all. Let us be thankful for all that Jesus is to us and has done for us, because nothing in this world can give us peace, wholeness, completeness, healing, salvation, deliverance, and love like He can and like He has!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son… that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16,17 KJV)

saved=sozo

Now thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]! (2 Corinthians 9:15, Amplified)