One of them [a man with leprosy], when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:15-19

My heart can feel thankful, but until I take the time to express my gratitude with a grateful prayer to God, a spoken word of blessing, a note of thanksgiving or a phone call of appreciation—I only conceal what I feel. Verbalized gratitude bends heaven’s ear toward earth while blessing those who hear its heart. A friend recently took the time to write me a note (legible!) of appreciation for helping him with his men’s retreat. The sincerity of his words and his description of how I blessed him really blessed my heart. The note rests next to my coffee pot for daily enjoyment!

Leprosy is a debilitating, snarly and a painful disease from a slow growing bacteria causing a loss of feeling in the arms and legs, along with muscle weakness. In Jesus’ day not only was this condition hideous to the eyes—an inflicted person was ostracized from the community. At the very moment the sick individual needed care and support—they were isolated. So, healing by Jesus was an extraordinary relief for the ten lepers—an event that pricked a scared society’s soul. A hug from a healthy person felt awkward—aches were replaced by joy! Remarkably, the twice shunned foreigner took time to thank Jesus. Love enjoys the gift, but also thanks the gift giver!

“She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins” (Luke 7:47-48, MSG).

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Unexpressed Gratitude is Ingratitude →

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. Ephesians 4:7

How many times have I heard the word “grace” in church, on the radio, or from a friend, but still not understood its meaning? According to the biblical definition, grace is unmerited favor, getting something good that you didn’t deserve. It’s the lovingkindness of God. A few years ago, after I read this definition I thought about three faces of grace.

The first is the grace face of salvation. According to the Bible, we are saved by grace. We didn’t earn it; we can’t do anything to get it. We have received it because of God’s lovingkindness, His unmerited favor.

The second grace face is the face of ability. In 2 Cor. 12:7, Paul describes a “thorn in the flesh” that he received. There are various ideas about what this might have been, but whatever it was, Paul asked God to remove it. God said no. Instead He said, “My grace [my lovingkindness, my unmerited favor] is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s grace, His favor, freely given, was enough to help Paul endure. This grace face gives us the ability to do stuff: to raise children, to endure something difficult—and to live life on planet Earth.

The last grace face is the grace face of blessings. This one hit me hard as I thought about the definition of grace: it’s His unearned favor. In an effort to understand grace better, I prayed, “Lord, show me your grace.” I expected Him to show me His favor in the days to come or bring my attention to something in the present. Instead, memories of the past came flooding in carrying with them the blessings that I had received and times of unmerited favor. It was as if He was saying. . .

“Shana, do you remember the job you were unqualified for that I gave you? ”

“Ah, yes Lord. That was your grace.”

“How about when I provided for you financially in narrow places?”

“Yes, grace too.”

“I healed your illness.”

“Grace indeed, Lord.”

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Three Faces of Grace →