Passage of the Day:
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[b] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well,” Luke 17:11-19.
Reflection:
Optimism is a spirit of hopefulness and confidence about the future. Optimism can be recognized by individuals who believe in and live with an overflowing confidence that success will come. After one of ten lepers were officially given a clean bill of health by a priest, this man seeks out Jesus to thank Him for performing a miracle in his life. According to Luke, this is one of the most grateful healed patients that he has ever encountered.
Prayerful Action:
Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 5:19-20.
Building Up Bible Believing Behaviors:
Where did everyone else go? Where they like the man in John 5:1-7 who believed that the water in this pool possessed mystical power? Did any of the other nine healed lepers ever come back to thank Jesus? Based upon Luke’s observations, this man was the only one who remembered and gave thanks to God. This is the quality that Christians should seek to emulate today, giving God the glory as our soul is overflowing with optimism and praise for the Lord.
Song of the Day:
Jesus revealed that the words people speak come from the overflow of their hearts, Luke 6:45. If Christians begin to dwell on the positive, optimism will start to overflow from their hearts. This is the image and vision of Christians overflowing with optimism.
by Jay Mankus