one Leper of Ten.

17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17)

10% of the lepers remembered to give thanks; only one remembered to return and express his gratitude. He didn't have to; the others didn't and they were still healed. Jesus didn't take back the miracle because they were inconsiderate, but the one that returned received more than just a healing. He received something that was beyond a physical miracle. His faith was increased; his healing had meaning; he believed not only in the fact that he was whole again, but that His Savior loved him. There was a healing beyond what people could see. His leper heart was, likewise, restored. I wonder if the 90% of the other lepers still had broken hearts; still had a yearning for something more in this life; were dissatisfied with the emptiness of this life.

When we demonstrate our thanks, it's solely for our own good. Jesus wants us to remember how and why we are blessed the way we have been. He loves us, and if we tie that concept in with the blessing, we'll experience the blessing to another level.

for the love of MONEY.

13"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

The love of money comes so naturally. We all love it and want it. We are born being greedy. However, the more we get it, the more we become dictated by it. We begin to work so hard to get our hands on it. We start to sacrifice so much for it. And, we do things we wouldn't have done before because of it.

How do we simplify our lives? How do we get rid of that desire for more earthly riches? It's just stuff, right??? But we crave this stuff to fill our houses, in every nook and cranny, and then in the storage shed and garage, under our beds and throughout our closets, and then shipped off to the good-will or causally tossed in the trash bin. It drives us crazy...It just doesn't make sense.

I need to reorganize my life. I think in so many ways, I've put others before God. I cannot serve more than two masters. And, really, the master I am serving right now sucks.

God,

Please hear my sincere plea: I want You to be my master. Help me to be Your humble servant.

give careful thought to your ways.

5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (Haggai 1)

In every aspect of their lives, they were dissatisfied. No matter what they did, they didn't have enough and didn't accomplish as much as they had hoped for. They were living their lives with less than the bare minimums.

Why were their efforts amounting to nothing? Was it because they weren't trying hard enough? Did they not have the right attitude? Did they have the wrong motives? What was causing their failure?

Basically, they did not turn to God for anything. Without God, everything we do will be less than it can be and, likewise, more painful and dissatisfying than it has to be. I like how God reminded them and how He reminds us: "Give careful thought to your ways." Really consider what you're doing. Are your efforts amounting to anything?

hoping.

2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God. (Psalm 84)

I'm so, very tired. I just want to go home. God, grant me the strength I need to be the person You want me to be and the strength I need to do the things You desire me to accomplish. Don't let me give up. But always instill in me that deep, sincere longing to be with You and to reside with You in Your eternal courts...May that hope inspire me to forge ahead with courage and joy.

impossiblities.

37For nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1)

Seriously. Don't doubt it. Even in the hardest circumstances; especially in the hardest circumstances; you know exactly which ones I'm talking about...you need to have faith that God can do the things that we think to be impossible. Maybe not yet. Maybe we have a wait a bit. Still...we need to stop doubting and start trusting.

homework and chores.

2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours. (Psalm 128)

I am so lazy, so apathetic, so tired. I'm so worn out. I think about all the things that keep piling up on my list of things to do and I shudder. I get anxious and I get nervous. I dread with a dread that fills my day with despair...and yet, I don't get on the ball. I don't cease my listlessness. I don't halt my procrastination. I don't avoid my distractions. I just fret as if that is somehow producing anything. It's not.

We were meant to work hard, to labor with our hands and minds. If we reject the task at hand, we will ultimately gain nothing. However, if we work with the mentality of persistence and diligence, we will reap bounty. God will honor our labors if we do it with a heart of purity. Even if the task seems so meaningless like homework or chores, God wants us to do it with all our heart unto Him. With that said, I need to start finishing up my homework and chores. :)

get up.

14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down. (Psalm 145)

In the drudgery of life, we often feel so entirely low that we would rather fall down and never get up. With neither strength or hope, without confidence and determination, we just want to give up. But whether we are down because of our own choosing or whether life has just thrown us in such a desperate position, God is always there to pick us up...cheer us up...if we would just look up.

Looking ahead is oft times hard, especially from the view that is down in the murky mire; however, if we would just gaze our eyes heavenward, we will see a distinguishable glow that would shroud our apprehensions in a light. We won't see like we've been seeing; we will see life in a different way, a more positive way. And, God will take us by the hand and lift us up. We can't give up.