Lessons for the Week (Nov. 30)

Gratitude
I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising him. (Psalm 34:1)

Getting Started
What are you grateful for? About how many times each day do you say “thank you” to someone? Remembering to say “thank you,” even for a very small favor, is important. It can make someone’s day. It can be a step towards fixing a broken relationship. Thinking about what is good in every situation can create a spirit of true gratitude in our hearts. And having a grateful heart can change the way we look at our lives. It can turn a little into enough, a meal into a feast, a stranger into a friend.

Vocabulary
gratitude (n) – thankfulness
make someone’s day (v phr) – to please someone; to do something that makes them happier than anything else that day
grateful (adj) - thankful
dreaded (adj) – feared by everyone
disease (n) – sickness
pity (n) – feeling sorry for someone
examine (v) – to look at closely
oppressed (adj) – hurt; treated badlyproclaim (v) – to speak out loudly; to tell everyone

Reading God’s Word

Jesus was traveling along the border of two different areas, Galilee and Samaria. The people in Galilee were Jews, like Jesus. The people in Samaria were from a different ethnic background. Because of their differences, these two groups of people didn’t always get along very well.

Luke 17:11-19

11 As Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 He was going into a village when he was met by ten men suffering from a dreaded skin disease. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, "Jesus! Master! Have pity on us!" 14 Jesus saw them and said to them, "Go and let the priests examine you." On the way they were made clean. 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself to the ground at Jesus' feet and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus spoke up, "There were ten who were healed; where are the other nine? 18 Why is this foreigner the only one who came back to give thanks to God?" 19 And Jesus said to him, "Get up and go; your faith has made you well."

Psalm 34:1-10
1 I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising him. 2 I will praise him for what he has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad! 3 Proclaim with me the Lord's greatness; let us praise his name together! 4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears. 5 The oppressed look to him and are glad; they will never be disappointed. 6 The helpless call to him, and he answers; he saves them from all their troubles. 7 His angel guards those who honor the Lord and rescues them from danger. 8 Find out for yourself how good the Lord is. Happy are those who find safety with him. 9 Honor the Lord, all his people; those who obey him have all they need. 10 Even lions go hungry for lack of food, but those who obey the Lord lack nothing good.
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Taking a Closer Look
1. What were the men suffering from? (Luke 17:12)
2. Why did they call out to Jesus? What did they hope he could do? (Luke 17:13)
3. What was Jesus’ answer? If you were one of these men, would this answer give you hope, or not? (Luke 17:14)
4. What happened on the way to see the priests? (Luke 17:14)
5. Why did the one man come back? Why do you think the others did not come back? (Luke 17: 15-16)
6. Why was Jesus surprised that a Samaritan had come back to thank him?
7. What did Jesus say made the man well? (Luke 17:19)
8. Look at Psalm 34:4. The author writes in the past tense. Do you ever look back at painful times and see things that you can be grateful for?
9. Psalm 34:9 says, “those who obey him have all they need,” but sometimes we don’t feel like we have all we need. Why do you think we should be grateful in these situations?

Taking Action
1. Say “thank you” to others as often as possible.
2. Think about all the blessings you have to be thankful for today. If you want to, make a list and see how it grows longer over time.
3. Say “thank you” to God for anything that brings you happiness. Just a quick, little prayer.

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Chinese Translation
Past Lessons