{"id":238,"date":"2007-11-22T01:01:22","date_gmt":"2007-11-22T01:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/thanksgiving-inspiration-from-pray-the-gospels.html"},"modified":"2007-11-22T01:01:22","modified_gmt":"2007-11-22T01:01:22","slug":"thanksgiving-inspiration-from-pray-the-gospels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/thanksgiving-inspiration-from-pray-the-gospels.html","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving Inspiration from Pray the Gospels"},"content":{"rendered":"

Excerpt<\/strong>
\nThen one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus\u00e2?? feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, \u00e2??Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?\u00e2?\u009d
\nLuke 17:15-16<\/p>\n

Click here to read all of Luke 17:11-19<\/a><\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong>
\nHow well I know this story, Lord. I must have heard it a couple dozen times while in Sunday School. Since then I’ve studied it, taught on it, and preached on it.
\nAnd yet, in spite of how familiar I am with this story, I end up just like the nine who did not return to thank You. I find it so easy to receive Your gifts and move on without stopping to reflect or express my gratitude. Oh, to be sure, there are times when I thank You. But my thanks is so often shallow and scanty. Forgive me, Lord, for my failure to give You the credit You deserve.
\nForgive me . . . and help me. Help me, Lord, to see with clear eyes Your manifold gifts to me. Slow me down enough so I can be thoughtful, and thus thankful. Help me not to charge on to the next thing, even the next good thing, so that I fail to appreciate and acknowledge Your goodness to me.
\nGracious Lord, today I thank You for the big things, for Your love, for saving me, for giving me a reason to live. Thank You for my family, my friends, my work, my health. Thank You for blessing me in countless ways.
\nBut may I also thank You for the little things, for the warmth of hugging my daughter, for the smell of the autumn air, for the refreshment of rest.
\nFill my heart with gratitude, Lord. You deserve it. And, to be honest, I need it too.
\nQuestions for Reflection<\/strong>
\nIn what ways are you like the one man who returned to Jesus? And how are you like the other nine?
\nWhat helps you to be grateful? What might you do to enhance the gratitude of your life?<\/p>\n

\"texas-sky-clouds-evening\"<\/p>\n

I’m grateful for the amazing skies in Texas.<\/p>\n

Pray the Gospels<\/strong><\/em>
\nPray the Gospels<\/a><\/em> is one of my two devotional websites. The other is Pray the Psalms<\/a><\/em>. Both sites include a daily Bible reading from either the Gospels or the Psalms, along with a prayer and some additional thoughts or questions for reflection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Excerpt Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus\u00e2?? feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, \u00e2??Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nThanksgiving Inspiration from Pray the Gospels - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/thanksgiving-inspiration-from-pray-the-gospels.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Thanksgiving Inspiration from Pray the Gospels - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Excerpt Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus\u00e2?? feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, \u00e2??Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}