HEALED BUT NOT WHOLE
Our walk with God is about moving from one level of glory to a higher level of glory. It’s about climbing up the staircase of perfection and completeness.
In Luke 17:11-19, we discover that there is a staircase to all round well-being or wholeness. Ten lepers started off at the base of the staircase, but only one got to the very top. They all started off in the same condition. All ten were lepers. All ten moved from being lepers, to a higher and much better level. They moved from battling with a terrifying infectious disease, to being set free from the pain and reproach of leprosy. This happened when they cried out to Jesus for mercy and He gave them an instruction, “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:14). Before they even got to the priests, they were miraculously healed. This goes to show that their healing was tied to their obedience not necessarily to who the priests were or what they could do for them.
Wholeness means all round wellness (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). It is having the three major aspects of your being – your spirit, soul and body functioning perfectly well. It is being complete, not lacking in any area of your life (1 James 1:4). When God is pleased with you like Jesus was pleased with the leper who gave Him thanks, you are not just healed you are whole. You are not just a recipient of a physical blessing from God, you have deeper and further discussions with God others don’t have. One of the lepers had a discussion with Jesus that the other nine never had. You can be healed, married, blessed with children, have millions in your account, yet you are not whole; you still lack some vital revelations and experiences with God. To be whole means there is no hole or void in your heart and relationship with God.
Obedience to divine instructions is key if we want to get to the top of the staircase of total wholeness. Everyday God gives us simple instructions. What do we do with these instructions? When God says wait, do we go? When He says go, do we stop? When He says go to the priest or pastor, do we go and watch a movie or go to our friend’s place instead? The lepers moved from the base of the staircase to the half landing because they obeyed a divine instruction.
When you are climbing up a staircase and you get to the half landing, you have come up quite a distance from the base, but you aren’t yet at the top. The nine lepers were content with just being healed. They were okay with the progress they had made. As far as they were concerned, being healed from leprosy was a big achievement and testimony; nothing could be better. But there was something better. Something was missing, but they weren’t even aware of this. They didn’t know that being healed wasn’t the full story; you need to be made whole.
When we are complacent; when we are satisfied with minor achievements and the level we are, we keep ourselves from receiving the bigger blessings God has prepared for us. Are you at the half landing of your spiritual life, ministry, marriage, business or career and you have set up a cozy chair there, when there are much greater experiences and testimonies at the top of the staircase that will make you truly complete and fulfilled?
A major hindrance to a peaceful, joyful, balanced and whole life is ingratitude. It was only the leper that came back to say a big thank you to Jesus that was made whole. This leper had an attitude of gratitude which must have been something he cultivated over the years. When we are not thankful, we forget what God has done for us and focus more on the ‘good stuff’ happening in other people’s lives. This can lead to discouragement and depression. When we are not thankful, it also affects our relationship with other people. Nobody wants to be taken for granted. Not only does ingratitude affect our mental health and ruin our relationship with people, it can plunge us into a life of spiritual darkness and sin. Romans 1:21 tells us that those who didn’t glorify God or give thanks to Him, became full of futile, foolish and worthless thoughts. We need to be more thankful to God and to people if we want to be well in our spirit, mind and body.
The year is drawing to an end and a large percentage of people are busy complaining about what they haven’t received; what hasn’t changed in their lives. Determine to be that ‘one leper’ who will come back to throw yourself at Jesus’ feet and thank Him for what He has done this year. The thankful leper received a blessing and touch from God that distinguished him from all the other lepers. Be full of thanksgiving and watch God give you a testimony and breakthrough that will distinguish you from the rest of the crowd.
PHOTO CREDIT: creationswap
