Gratitude, Humility, and God's Steadfast Love

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Heals and We Return in Gratitude

The story of Jesus healing the ten lepers in Luke 17 reminds us that while all ten were cleansed, only one—a Samaritan, the least likely in the eyes of many—returned to give thanks and worship at Jesus’ feet. This act of gratitude is a powerful picture of what communion is meant to be: a moment to remember that we have been healed and brought near by Jesus, not because of our perfection, but because of His mercy. Let us not be like the nine who moved on, but let us continually return to Jesus with thankful hearts, recognizing that He alone is our healer and redeemer, and that our lives are a testimony to His ongoing work. [39:24]

Luke 17:11-19 (ESV)
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Reflection: When was the last time you paused to intentionally thank Jesus for a specific way He has healed, restored, or provided for you? How can you return to Him in gratitude today?

Day 2: God Listens to the Humble

Psalm 66 assures us that God truly listens to our prayers—not because we have it all together, but because we come to Him in humility, recognizing our need for a Savior. The psalmist declares that God has not rejected his prayer or removed His steadfast love, even when he was aware of his own shortcomings. God’s promise is that He hears the cries of those who humble themselves, and He is attentive to every voice that calls out in faith, no matter how small or uncertain that faith may feel. [01:08:39]

Psalm 66:16-20 (ESV)
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to lay down pride and approach God in humility today, trusting that He will listen to your honest prayer?

Day 3: God Responds—Trusting Him on the Journey

God not only listens, but He responds to every prayer—sometimes with a “yes,” sometimes “no,” and sometimes “not yet.” Our relationship with God is not transactional like a job, but a journey of trust, where we learn to wait on His timing and trust His process. Just as fruit takes time to grow, so does the work of God in our lives; we are called to stick with Him, even when answers are delayed or different than we expect, knowing that He is a good Father who leads us faithfully. [01:12:31]

Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to give up praying or trusting God because you haven’t seen the answer you hoped for? What would it look like to “stick around” and trust Him with that situation today?

Day 4: God’s Steadfast Love—An Open Invitation

God’s love is steadfast, unwavering, and not subject to change—even when we fail or fall short. He offers an open standing invitation to every person to come and experience His grace, not based on our performance but on the finished work of Jesus. No matter what you have done or how you feel, God’s invitation remains: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” His love is not a bait-and-switch; it is genuine, patient, and available until our very last breath. [01:16:52]

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection: Is there a part of you that doubts God’s love or feels unworthy of His invitation? How can you respond to His open invitation and receive His steadfast love today?

Day 5: He Must Increase—Receiving, Not Striving

Transformation in the Christian life is not about striving harder or trying to be good enough; it is about letting Jesus increase in our lives so that our old ways naturally decrease. When we humble ourselves and receive the Holy Spirit, our desires begin to change, and we are empowered to live an overcoming life—not by our own strength, but by the presence and power of God within us. This is not behavior modification, but a supernatural work of grace that comes as we open our hearts and simply say, “I receive.” [01:24:27]

John 3:30 (ESV)
He must increase, but I must decrease.

Reflection: In what area of your life have you been striving in your own strength? What would it look like to shift from striving to receiving, allowing Jesus to increase in you today?

Sermon Summary

This morning, we gathered around the Lord’s table, remembering the sacrifice of Jesus and the healing He brings to our lives—spirit, soul, and body. Reflecting on the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17, we saw how only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks after being healed. This is a powerful reminder that gratitude is not just a feeling but an act of returning to Jesus, acknowledging that all we have and all we are is because of Him. Communion is our opportunity to pause, turn back, and say “thank you” for the healing and nearness we’ve received through Christ’s blood.

We celebrated what God is doing in our church family and the wider Assemblies of God movement, recognizing that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. The statistics are encouraging—churches being planted, lives being changed, and a spiritual hunger rising across generations and nations. Yet, we are reminded that the work is not finished; there are still many who need to encounter Jesus. Our commitment is to remain humble, prayerful, and expectant, believing that God’s Spirit is still moving powerfully today, just as in the book of Acts.

Turning to Psalm 66, we were reminded of three foundational truths: God listens, God responds, and God cares. He is not distant or indifferent; He hears the humble cry, attends to our prayers, and never removes His steadfast love from us. Our relationship with God is not transactional, like a job, but a journey of trust and transformation. Fruit takes time, and God’s process in our lives is often slower than we’d like, but always purposeful and good.

We are invited to approach God with humility, laying down our pride and self-sufficiency, and to receive the fullness of His Spirit. The open invitation of the gospel is for all—no matter our past, our doubts, or our failures. God’s love is not a bait-and-switch; it is steadfast, loyal, and available until our final breath. As we receive from Him, our appetites change, and we are empowered to live lives marked by gratitude, faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us continue to press in, trust the process, and be witnesses of His ongoing work in our lives and in the world.

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Key Takeaways

1. Gratitude Is an Act of Returning True gratitude is more than a fleeting emotion; it is a deliberate act of turning back to Jesus, just as the healed Samaritan leper did. In a world that often moves on quickly from blessing to blessing, we are called to pause, return, and give thanks, recognizing that every good thing in our lives is a gift from God. This posture of gratitude keeps our hearts soft and our focus on the Giver, not just the gifts. [38:14]
2. God Listens to the Humble God’s ear is always inclined toward those who come to Him in humility. We don’t need to have it all figured out or be perfect to be heard; we simply need to acknowledge our need for Him. Pride closes the door, but humility opens the way for God to listen and respond to our prayers, no matter how simple or desperate they may be. [68:39]
3. The Journey with God Is Not Transactional Unlike a job where we expect immediate results for our labor, our walk with God is a journey that unfolds over time. Fruitfulness in our lives requires patience, trust, and perseverance. When we stick with God through the seasons of “not yet” or “no,” we discover that His timing and process are always for our good, shaping us into the likeness of Christ. [71:27]
4. God’s Love Is Steadfast and Unconditional God’s love is not fickle or dependent on our performance. Even when we fail, doubt, or wander, His steadfast love remains. This unwavering commitment is the foundation of our confidence before Him—not arrogance, but a deep assurance that we are accepted, forgiven, and transformed by grace alone. [75:08]
5. The Invitation Is Open, but Requires Humility God’s invitation to relationship and transformation is open to all, but it must be received with humility. We cannot earn or manufacture spiritual life; we can only receive it as a gift. As we allow Christ to increase in our lives, our old appetites fade, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered to live in freedom and victory. [81:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[38:14] - Communion and the Story of the Ten Lepers
[39:24] - The Call to Gratitude and Remembrance
[40:50] - Prayer Over the Bread
[42:16] - Prayer Over the Cup
[46:56] - Reflections from General Council and Fine Arts
[49:33] - Celebrating What God Is Doing in Our Fellowship
[53:10] - The Power of Spiritual Hunger
[57:45] - Assemblies of God: Global Impact and Growth
[63:38] - The Danger of Limiting God’s Kingdom
[65:06] - Psalm 66: God’s Faithfulness in Prayer
[68:39] - God Listens to the Humble
[71:27] - Trusting God’s Process and Timing
[75:08] - The Steadfast Love of God
[81:41] - He Must Increase: Receiving from God
[83:50] - Posture of Receiving and Humility
[86:39] - Receiving the Holy Spirit and Prayer for Healing
[94:07] - Invitation to Community and Outreach
[98:41] - Closing and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 17:11-19 (ESV) — > On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Psalm 66:16-20 (ESV) — > Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

Observation Questions

In the story of the ten lepers, what did the one healed man do differently from the other nine after being healed? (Luke 17:15-16; [38:14])
According to Psalm 66, what are the three things the psalmist says God does in response to prayer? (Psalm 66:19-20; [01:05:06])
What does the sermon say is the difference between how God’s love works and how a job works? ([01:11:27])
What posture or attitude does the sermon say is necessary to receive from God? ([01:21:41])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think only one of the ten lepers returned to thank Jesus? What does this say about gratitude and faith? ([38:14])
The psalmist says God listens, responds, and cares. How does this challenge the idea that God is distant or uninterested in our lives? ([01:05:06])
The sermon compares our relationship with God to a journey, not a transaction. What does it mean for spiritual growth to be a process rather than an instant result? ([01:11:27])
The sermon says God’s love is steadfast and unconditional, even when we fail or doubt. How does this truth affect the way we approach God after we’ve messed up? ([01:15:08])

Application Questions

The healed Samaritan leper made a deliberate choice to return and thank Jesus. Is there a recent blessing or answer to prayer in your life that you haven’t paused to thank God for? What would it look like for you to “return” to Jesus in gratitude this week? ([38:14])
The sermon says that God listens to the humble, not the proud. Are there areas in your life where pride or self-sufficiency might be keeping you from asking God for help? What would it look like to lay that down and approach God in humility? ([01:08:39])
When God’s answer to prayer is “no” or “not yet,” how do you usually respond? Is there a situation right now where you need to trust God’s timing and process instead of giving up or getting frustrated? ([01:11:27])
The sermon reminds us that God’s love is not a “bait-and-switch”—it’s steadfast and loyal. Is there a lie or fear you’ve believed about God’s love that you need to let go of? How can you remind yourself of His steadfast love this week? ([01:18:32])
The invitation to receive from God is open, but it requires humility. Is there something you need to surrender or confess in order to receive more of God’s Spirit in your life? ([01:21:41])
The sermon talks about our appetites changing as we receive from God. Is there an “old appetite” or habit that you sense God wants to change in you? What is one step you can take this week to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in that area? ([01:21:41])
The church is part of something much bigger than itself, and the work isn’t finished. What is one way you can participate in what God is doing—either in our church, in your family, or in your community—this month? ([49:33])

Sermon Clips

Did you know that your life story and your transformation and your praise and your healing is this ongoing confirmation that Jesus is who He said He was? Through all of us, this is happening and we are His witnesses. We are His testimony. We are ambassadors of this kingdom that God is moving through. [01:04:40] (21 seconds) #LivingTestimony

God listens. You've got to know this. God listens. The psalmist said, truly God has listened. How frustrating is it to call a company or an organization and talk to some type of AI assistance on the other end that most of the time just can't get the job done for us? Does anybody know what I'm talking about this morning? And I'm telling you what, the day and age of a receptionist is a dying thing. And we're so grateful for our receptionist that you could actually call and talk to a live person. But if you're like me and you call a company or organization, you don't listen to those 17 selections that you're supposed to listen to, maybe it's just me. I get a little impatient. And this is what I do. I go customer service, customer service, customer service, customer service. And then if not, you have selected an invalid. And what that happens, I go zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, in hopes that a real life person will finally talk to me. Because I need somebody to listen to me that has the ability to help me with what I'm really calling for. And this is what's, listen, this is one of God's promises to you. He will listen. Not only will he listen, he wants to listen. He wants to listen. Don't believe the lies of the enemy of your own self-talk that says that God wouldn't listen to you. [01:06:53] (87 seconds) #GodAlwaysListens

You don't have to have it all figured out. You might not even even read a Bible yet. You might not feel like you don't have any real faith on the inside of you. You don't, listen, you don't need that to start. All you need is humility because God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. If you and I would be humble, everybody say be humble. If you and I would be humble to recognize that we haven't measured up, that we could actually need a savior to qualify us spiritually, then those are the prayers that he hears every single time. Every single time. When we go low, God listens in. Say that again. When we go low, God listens and he listens. [01:08:39] (52 seconds) #HumbleBeginnings

God responds. The scripture said he has attended. He's attended to the voice of my prayer. God answers every prayer we pray. The only prayer that God doesn't answer are the ones we don't pray. He attends to them all. A lot of times he answers and says yes. Don't you love the yeses? Come on, somebody. And a lot of times he does say yes in our prayers. For those of you are seeking to really follow the Lord and allow our heart to be intertwined with his, a lot of times he's going to say yes, but sometimes they're no and sometimes they're not yet. I just want to say this, friends. Don't lose heart when you receive a no or a not yet, but return back to humility and say, I might not fully understand all of this. I don't like the way this feels, but would you take a step of faith to trust God? To trust God. [01:09:31] (66 seconds) #AnsweredPrayers

God cares. Blessings are appropriated to, to God because he did not reject my prayer or remove his steadfast love from me. To be steadfast is to be firmly fixed and not subject to change. To be firm in belief and determination. and to be loyal and faithful. How crazy is it that God's love is steadfast and it's faithful to you when you and I are guilty as all get out, when we have dropped the ball time and time again, and he says, nope, I will not remove my love from you. That is unbelievable. Is it just me? That is unbelievable. [01:13:40] (41 seconds) #SteadfastLove

There is an open standing invitation to come and see, to come and experience this God that wants to have a relationship with you. You guys know what an open standing invitation is? It's actually not a popular thing in our culture because we're so isolated and to ourselves and make sure our fences are at least six to eight feet tall and our little kingdoms of privacy. Like, this is our culture. Let's be honest. Let's be transparent. But a standing, an open standing invitation is something like this. You can come over and you can be a part of what's going on here any time you want. You don't need a formal invitation. You don't need a time and you don't need a day. Whenever you would like to come and join, you can come. Obviously, that level of hospitality strikes fear and anxiety in our society today because the house has got to be clean. The dog has got to be clean. Shoot, I got to be clean. Right? But this is the reality of God's love to all humanity. An open standing invitation. He is not blowing smoke. He's not saying one thing and walking away and thinking another. He said this, Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's an open standing invitation. [01:15:38] (86 seconds) #OpenInvitation

``He has brought, come on, he has brought me out of a pit. He has changed me and transformed my life, the life I now live. I don't live for myself. I don't live in the flesh. I live for the Son of God. And the Holy Spirit is taking residence in me in such a way that he helps me and he empowers me. And he gives me the strength for victory, to go from victory to victory, to go from glory to glory. As I behold his awesome presence. And as I behold his face, as I behold his holy words of scripture. And I let the scripture read my life. And I allow myself to be conformed to it. And the presence of God is so real. He is here in this moment. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot remove the sin. We cannot remove the stains off of our soul, but the blood of Jesus that was shed over 2,000 years can and will. Can and will. [01:20:28] (68 seconds) #TransformedByFaith

Humility is paramount if we're going to come to God. But sometimes in my own mind, I've thought that I must decrease so he can increase. That's not what the scripture says. It says he must increase so I can decrease. It means this, it means this. The other way around is striving and working harder and harder and harder and harder and harder. But when I say, God, I need you. When I say, God, forgive me. When I say, God, come and live and take residence and let this truly be the temple of the Holy Spirit. And he comes. Do you know what happens? My appetites change. And all of a sudden, I'm not hungry for the things of the world anymore because I've experienced the love of a father. I know who I am and I know what a counterfeit is. And I listen, I can spot it a mile away. And I say, I don't want that anymore. And I decrease not because it's a work of the flesh, but it's because I have received from a father first, first, he must increase. This is not behavior modification. You cannot buy it. You can't gain it. You can't be good enough, smart enough. You can't. All you can do is receive it and make a decision in your life to follow Jesus. [01:22:21] (88 seconds) #HeMustIncrease

There's an open standing invitation, but we have to come, and we can't come with anything else but humility to receive. This is my prayer. I believe it's going to happen, and it's happening already all over this place. Be filled with the Holy Spirit right now. Be filled with the Holy Spirit right now. Be filled with the Holy Spirit right now. Be filled with the Holy Spirit right now. Come on. Nobody's laying hands on you. Just a position of receiving. Receive the love of a Father. Receive the love of Jesus. Open up your heart. Lay down your pride. Say, Jesus, come live inside of me. Holy Spirit, take residence inside of me. I don't want a religious form. I want the power of God. I want the power of God. Lord, you said I could have it. You said I could receive. You said you would transform me from a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of life. You said it's nothing I could do, but I could receive it. And so we receive together in the mighty name of Jesus. Somebody just pray that very simple prayer. Just say, I receive. I receive. I receive. I receive. I receive. Come on, because we're receiving right now. Faith is rising in your heart. Faith is rising in your heart. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. [01:25:40] (89 seconds) #ReceiveHolySpirit

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