The Way Of Thanksgiving
“He who offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way rightly [who follows the way that I show him], I shall show the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23
Do you remember the story of the healing in Luke 17:10-19; where 10 lepers met Jesus along the way. They asked Jesus for healing and were healed, then; one of them, 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? … Was no one found to return and 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
So what does Jesus mean by “Your faith has made you well”?
The word “well” here is sozo in the Greek. Sozo means salvation. It means true wellness, complete wholeness, full restoration (spirit, soul and body).
To live sozo is to live the full life. Jesus came that we might live life to the full; He came to give us sozo.
Now, read the text again, it says: “Your faith has made you well.”
The leper’s faith that made him well, was a faith that said ‘thank you’. It was a faith that does not keep quiet about what God has done. It praises God, and not silently. It is a faith that speaks up in praise!
So, Jesus here counts thanksgiving as integral in a faith that saves, meaning, we only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks.
Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation and healing, if not with thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives.
Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to His grace.
Thanksgiving is inherent to a true salvation experience; it is necessary to live the full life that God gives.
No wonder David, a thankful man by all standards, said, ‘He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23.
Giving thanks in everything prepares the way that God might show us His full restoration in Christ.
Think about it: How often do you remember to say thank you to God for all He has done? This is the way to having and enjoying the full life that God gives. It is by ‘the way of Thanksgiving.’