Praise


"One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said,"Woman, you are healed of your sickness!" Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised and thanked God!" Luke 13:10-13

Entitlement is an ancient plague. Individual lives, families and even entire societies have been decimated by its deep soul penetrating tentacles. I grieve the many times I have been given an amazing gift only to fail to recognize it or properly express my gratitude for it. It makes me wonder, what might eighteen seconds in hell do for our appreciation of what Jesus did for us on the cross? 

The woman in our story was a prisoner in her own body for eighteen years. The devil had her all contorted and crippled. I wonder what was going through her mind when Jesus called her over. She wasn't able to look into his eyes of compassion, but how his words must have startled her. "Did he say 'healed'?" One touch later ... deliverance. "How she praised and thanked God!" 

A grateful person is a joy to be around. They smile a lot. They are full of life and love. They take nothing for granted and enjoy even the smallest wonders of life. They understand the only thing they truly deserve is eternal separation from God. To be so blessed sparks never ending praise from their lips. Would this description be accurate for us?

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