BE THE ONE WHO RETURN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2025

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THANKSGIVING AS GLORY RESTORED TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNER

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Luke 17:15–18, Psalm 19:14: The Divine Expectation of Gratitude

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Authored by Rev Olusola and Rev Oyenike Areogun

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MEMORY VERSE:

Proverbs 23:13-14 – “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.”

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FIRE SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 22:15

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The Question That Echoes Through Eternity

The narrative of the ten lepers, healed by a single word from Jesus Christ, is not merely a story of miraculous healing; it is a profound lesson on divine expectation and the true meaning of thanksgiving.

Ten men, separated from society, condemned by disease, and bound for a lonely death, cried out to Jesus. In an instant, their broken, decaying lives were restored to perfect health. They were given a mandate: “Go show yourselves unto the priests.” Nine obeyed the mandate, received their societal verification of healing, and promptly disappeared into their newly reclaimed lives. But one—a Samaritan, an outsider—did the extraordinary. He turned back.

When this one man returned, falling on his face at Jesus’ feet, the Lord asked the question that still searches congregations, homes, and individual hearts today: “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17, KJV).

That question is the centerpiece of our message today. It is a question that reveals God’s heart of expectation. It demonstrates that the Lord not only notices the act of receiving, but He also notices the absence of the return.

I want you to make an inner policy right now: decide, ahead of time, that you will be the one who returns—promptly, publicly, and precisely—to give glory to God.

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1. Thanksgiving: Not a Footnote, But Glory Returned

We must redefine thanksgiving in our spiritual economy. It is not merely a polite note tacked onto the end of a prayer or a cultural custom observed during designated holidays. Thanksgiving is a transaction. It is the deliberate, conscious act of redirecting the glory, power, and credit for a given mercy back to its rightful Owner.

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The Theological Mandate: Glory Belongs to God Alone

When you withhold thanks or direct it elsewhere (to your own efforts, your luck, or your connections), you misplace glory. This is spiritual theft. The Lord, being the only true source of all life, power, and blessing, is the only recipient worthy of the corresponding honor.

• The moment the lepers were healed, the glory belonged to the Healer.
• The moment your business succeeded, the glory belonged to the Giver of power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
• The moment you escaped danger, the glory belonged to the Preserver of life (Psalm 121:7).

To say, “I am grateful,” is not enough. You must actively return the credit to the Source. The Samaritan leper understood this. He did not merely thank Jesus; he came back “with a loud voice glorifying God.” His gratitude was not just an emotion; it was an act of worship that restored the proper order of the universe.

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The Danger of Entitlement and Ingratitude

Why did the nine not return? It was not because they were necessarily evil, but likely because they suffered from two spiritual diseases that often follow deliverance: Entitlement and Forgetfulness.

1. Entitlement: They may have felt that, as covenant people (Jews), they were due the healing. They fulfilled the legal requirement (showing themselves to the priest) and felt their obligation was complete. They saw the miracle as their right, not a radical act of mercy. The spirit of entitlement subtly replaces dependence on God with expectation from God, leading to a silent, ungrateful departure.
2. Forgetfulness: They were so focused on the new life and catching up on what they had missed (seeing family, rejoining society) that they simply forgot the Source of that new life. The healing became common, the miracle became history, and the Healer became a distant memory.
   

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Mature saints do not treat mercies as casual. They respond proportionately to the weight of the favor received. They understand that ingratitude is spiritually dangerous because it cuts off the channel of future blessing. A closed channel of thanks becomes a closed channel of receiving.

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2. The Anatomy of the Return: Promptly, Publicly, Precisely

The spiritual policy of returning must be characterized by three key attributes to be effective and acceptable before God. The ungrateful nine failed on all three counts, while the returning one excelled.

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A. Promptly: The Urgency of Gratitude

Thanksgiving must be done without delay. Procrastinated gratitude is often lost gratitude. The leper returned immediately. He paused his journey to the priests, prioritizing the Healer over the healing.

The Danger of Delay: When a miracle is fresh, the awe is great. As time passes, human reason steps in, minimizing the wonder.

• The Problem: We tell ourselves, “I’ll give the testimony next week,” or “I’ll give the offering after I stabilize the business.”
• The Reality: The delay allows the enemy to whisper doubt: “Maybe it was just luck,” or “You worked hard for it.” The glory is then hijacked by self or circumstance.

The Principle: The time gap between receiving and returning must be closed. Let your posture say, “This mercy is so weighty to me that I must interrupt my own schedule to ensure my God is glorified.” A prompt return proves the integrity of your awe.

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B. Publicly: The Power of Testimony

The grateful leper did not sneak back quietly; he came “with a loud voice” glorifying God (Luke 17:15).

There is a corporate dimension to thanksgiving. As a church family, we set apart seasons to appear before the Lord with thanks offerings because remembrance multiplies in community. When one person testifies, their faith becomes a seed in the heart of another.

However, even when we gather corporately, thanksgiving remains profoundly personal. No one wore your shoes; no one felt your midnight fears; no one knew the specific gravity of the burden you carried. Therefore, do not allow the caution or coolness of others to moderate your response.

Refuse the intimidation that whispers, “Tone it down.” Covenant people honour protocol—orderly, decent—but they are never ashamed to magnify the Lord who delivered them. Your testimony is a weapon:

1. A Memorial to God: It establishes an altar of remembrance.
2. An Act of Humility: You publicly acknowledge you could not save yourself.
3. A Prophetic Release: Your mouth releases the power of God over your situation and the situations of others.

The loud voice of the leper was a public declaration that removed all ambiguity: The glory belongs to God.

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C. Precisely: Proportionate Expression

To return precisely means choosing a fitting expression that is commensurate with the favor received. The response must be proportional to the mercy.

When you write down what you are thanking Him for, the act should correspond to the value of the deliverance. A precise return involves:

A Testimony: Using your voice to tell the specific story.

A Fitting Offering (Seed of Thanks): A tangible gift that demonstrates the weight of the mercy. It should cost you something, reflecting the fact that the healing was priceless.

A Family Altar of Praise: Establishing a dedicated time of praise in your home to consecrate the blessing to God.

Honoring the Channel: Taking time to visit and honor the channel God used (a pastor, a friend, a mentor) as an extension of honoring God Himself.

Vague, generalized thanks often reflects a generalized blessing. Accurate, specific thanks corresponds to a specific miracle.

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3. Guarding the Gate of Worship: The Inner Policy

The heart is the control center of all spiritual actions. Thanksgiving is accepted or rejected first in the heart. The physical act of returning is only the overflow of what has been judged and consecrated within.

The Psalmist understood the necessity of this inner check: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14, KJV).

The meditation of your heart is the gate of worship. We must cleanse our motives at this gate to ensure our return is pure.

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The Two Enemies of True Thanks

The only things that can pollute the returning glory are the inner workings of the flesh:

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I. Comparison (The Spirit of the Nine)

The nine lepers likely looked at each other and thought, “We all got the same healing. Why should I make a big fuss?” Comparison is a thief of joy and a silencer of testimony.

• It causes you to measure your mercy against another’s, thereby diminishing the wonder of your own deliverance.
• It fosters a spirit of competition rather than corporate celebration.

To guard against comparison, you must come full of awe and accuracy about your own personal journey. No one else has your specific assignment, your specific battles, or your specific testimony. Your thanks must be unique because your deliverance was unique to you.

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II. Self-Congratulation (The Spirit of Pride)

This is the danger of receiving the mercy and then directing the glory to self. “I prayed harder,” “I gave the biggest seed,” or “I am disciplined.” This is the subtle replacement of God’s grace with human effort.

A clean heart is one that is free of entitlement and comparison; a heart that recognizes the miracle was unmerited favor—pure mercy. When you return with a heart full of awe, you confirm that you are not claiming any credit for yourself.

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4. The Multiplier Effect: The Fruit of Returning Glory

Why is God so intent on asking, “Where are the nine?” It is not because He needs our praise—His glory is already complete—but because we need the practice of returning glory.

Thanksgiving is not a payment for a past debt; it is a prophetic seed for future increase.

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A. Securing the Healing and Multiplying Future Mercies

When Jesus saw the Samaritan, He did not just acknowledge him; He spoke a word that secured the healing: “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19, KJV).

While all ten were cleansed (cured physically), only the returning one received the pronouncement of wholeness (made whole—salvation). The return of thanks finalized the spiritual transaction, moving him from a physical cure to eternal deliverance (wholeness).

When you return glory:

1. You Secure the Blessing: You put a spiritual seal on the mercy, securing it against backsliding or future attack.
2. You Open the Door to More: Your thankful heart proves you are a faithful steward of the present mercy, making you worthy of greater grace and deeper revelation. God delights in channeling His blessings through a grateful vessel.
   

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B. The Life as a Memorial

When you live with this inner policy—I will return—your life becomes a memorial of glory given back to God.

Every breakthrough is an opportunity to set up an altar of remembrance. These memorials are not just stones; they are markers that God can look back on and say, “I remember that act of faith; I will honor that commitment of praise.

When you face the next trial, the devil is silenced because your track record of gratitude stands as a testimony in the spiritual court: This one honors his God; the hand of the LORD is upon him.

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Final Admonition: Be Found on the Right Side of the Answer

The call today is urgent and clear: Be the one who returns.

In your daily life, the Lord is constantly moving, delivering, shielding, and prospering you. He notices the promotion, the provision, the protection in the midnight hour.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

• Where has my gratitude gone quiet when it should have been bold?
• What precise return—words, posture, and gift—will I bring today so that God alone is glorified?

Determine today to check your heart at the gate of worship. Refuse the easy route of the nine who departed silently. Let your words and posture resonate with awe and accuracy. When you live like this, Heaven’s searching question finds you on the right side of the answer, and your life becomes a beacon that draws all glory back to the One who deserves it all.

PRAYER:

Father, make me the one who returns. Cleanse my motives from entitlement and comparison. Strengthen my voice to be public and loud in my gratitude, and receive all the glory from my life and my thanksgiving, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 44:24-47:7, 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17, Psalm 94:1-23, Proverbs 26:6-8