“Take Time To Say Thanks!” He was just a nobody. An outcast of society. For how long? No one really knows. But we do know that he had been separated from his family, his friends, his job and all that resembled “life.” For him, life was over! He had been sentenced to live out the rest of his days, for reasons beyond his control, in a secluded place, with nine other “nobodies” just like him. You see, he was a leper. No hope for him, you say. Well, that’s what everyone else thought too. But then, one day, down a dusty road, came the man called “Jesus.” When he saw Jesus, he, along with the other nine, began to cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” As they departed, the miracle took place. They were cleansed! When he realized what had taken place, he immediately turned around, ran back to Jesus, fell down on his face, and with a loud voice, began to give Him thanks for restoring his life. Jesus replied, “Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” The other nine were so caught up in where they were going, that they forgot where they had come from. They didn’t take time to say “thanks.” As we enjoy this Thanksgiving season, let us not forget that at one time in our lives, we were like this leper. We were plagued with the incurable disease called sin, for which we had no cure. But one day, Jesus came by where we were, on the scrap-pile of life, and offered to us everlasting life. The joy, the peace, the comfort, the help and the hope, that we now experience is all because of Him. That, my friend, is what Thanksgiving is all about. Yes, it is important to know where we are going, but let’s not forget where we came from. During this Thanksgiving season, join me and my family, and let us… “Take time to say thanks!” Pastor Johnny H. Moore http://www.ruralpastor.com johnny@ruralpastor.com