I am writing this on the Friday before Thanksgiving. This is the time of year when most people try to be as thankful as we should be all year long. It is also the time of year when we dig out the pants with the stretchy waistband, because we tend to overindulge at holiday meals.

We have so much to be thankful for! And it is right that we do so. The words “thank”, “thankful”, “thanksgiving” in some various forms occur in the Bible nearly 150 times. The Bible often urges us to give thanks. We Christians ought to be the most thankful people on earth because of all the blessings and promises we have through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

One of the most commonly preached texts on thanksgiving is Luke 17:11-19, which records the account of Jesus healing ten men who had leprosy. Of the ten who were healed, only one returned to give Jesus thanks. From this Scripture we can glean several important truths about thanksgiving.

First, we should be quick to give thanks. As soon as the man realized he had been healed he came back to thank Jesus. Don’t put off being thankful. If we hesitate or procrastinate, we may fail to give thanks at all. If it isn’t a part of your nature already, cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Being thankful should come natural to those who have been blessed by Jesus.

Secondly, this man was quite vocal with his thanksgiving. The Scripture says that he praised God in a loud voice. Our gratitude should not be a secret between us and God. Others should hear our thanksgiving being expressed loudly and clearly.

Third, we need to notice that Jesus seems to expect us to be thankful. When only one man came back to thank Jesus for the healing that he had received, Jesus asked where the other nine were. Had they not been healed also? Where was their expression of thanksgiving? Jesus appears to be disappointed in their lack of gratitude. We should always strive to give the gratitude that Jesus expects and deserves, not just during the holiday season, but every single day of our lives.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”—Colossians 3:17.