Followed By Mercy

From Lepers To Gratitude: Mercy That Finds The Forgotten

• W. Austin Gardner

Share episode

Send us a text

Mercy doesn’t wait for perfect people or perfect moments. It walks into forgotten places and meets us right where we are. In this episode, we open Luke 17 and sit with the ten men who cried out from a distance, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” All ten are healed as they go, but only one stops, sees what grace has done, and turns back to give thanks. That turn becomes our roadmap: notice the mercy you didn’t earn, pause long enough to feel it, and return praise to the One who gave it.

We talk about what life was like for lepers, isolated, shamed, and kept outside, and how Jesus kept moving toward the people everyone else avoided. The one who returned was a Samaritan, doubly rejected, yet he became the picture of gratitude. We dig into why so many of us miss that moment today, chasing rules instead of relationship, managing guilt instead of receiving grace, forgetting that the gospel is good news. With help from Romans 8 and Matthew 7, we confront the lie of scarcity. If God didn’t spare His own Son, He isn’t holding out on you. Gratitude begins when you believe you’re already clean and accepted.

You’ll leave with a one-minute habit that can change your day: list a few undeserved gifts and thank God for each one. Gratitude softens bitterness, steadies your heart, and reshapes your perspective on people. Be the one who comes back.

Short Summary:

 A walk through Luke 17 reveals how mercy reaches out to outsiders and gratitude transforms ordinary life. Ten were healed, and one returned; that turn still teaches us how to live in thankfulness and freedom.

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Austin Gardner:

Welcome to Followed by Mercy, our podcast. I'm excited to be here with Robert Canfield as co-host, and boy, we've been working together for a week. And so today we're going to talk about thankfulness. Go ahead, Robert.

Robert Canfield:

Yeah. So in our Bibles, uh Luke chapter 17 tells a story in verse 11 that Jesus, as he went to Jerusalem, excuse me, he was passing through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, and he went to a certain village. Now, I always like thinking about that because taking the light, we like to work in the villages and we like to go out to these little pueblos. I don't mind you telling people about that a little bit. Just put a little plug in there every once in a while. But where can they go to find out more information? You go to takingthelight.com. You can follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We like to put out stuff that's going on through there. God's really working and pretty excited about the future. And so we've got some pretty cool things that the Lord's doing. So all excited about that. But not a lot of people go out to those villages, and it's oftentimes a forgotten place. People in America think that, you know, you go to small towns and you see that there's churches everywhere. And they think that's kind of like that everywhere they go, you know, all throughout the world. One thing you know, not a lot of people go out to those little small towns, or they don't go out to those rural areas. But praise God, somebody went out to to Bucksnort or not Bucksnort.

Austin Gardner:

Was it uh you know, really they uh I lived in Nunley, Tennessee, which is so small it's not on the map, but anyway.

Robert Canfield:

Okay, well, thank God and then later on Bucksnort, but yep, that's right. Thank God they went out there into Loudonville, you know what I mean, because we were able to hear about this this message of mercy, and God was so merciful to me.

Austin Gardner:

I think that's a a the sign that the gospel was is spreading as much as it ought to be, would be that small towns will end up having churches. Right. And having somebody to preach so much.

Robert Canfield:

You think about the God of mercy right here. He was on his way to Jerusalem, but yet he still stopped by the little small villages. And so that just shows us there is God is there is no respecter of persons. That's right. It's not that he just views one person more important than the rest of them. He loves them all, and his mercy's for all.

Austin Gardner:

And he does things like that on purpose, and it's to show us that lesson. But in uh today's lesson, what we're looking at is how they reacted, right?

Robert Canfield:

Yeah, yeah. And so the story goes as he enters the village, there met him like 10 guys there. And the Bible says that they were lepers and which stood afar off. And when they saw Jesus in verse 13, they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. They looked at the one that was following them by mercy, and they requested, made a request of something that they had open access to. And their mercy that they were wanting was is that they wanted to be clean, right? They wanted this disease to be eradicated for their body.

Austin Gardner:

It's a disease that people we don't understand that to today. But to have to be a leper put you outside the city. You could even be with your family. That's right. They lived outside the city and and basically in like homeless people. Yeah. They were ostracized, right? Ostracized. They couldn't get within, it was like COVID to a hundred times over. They had to scream as they walked down the street. Here I come. I had I'm a leper. I don't belong. I can't fit in society. They couldn't hang out at the parks. They couldn't be around people. If the air off of their body got on somebody else's body, they were afraid they would get contaminated.

Robert Canfield:

I could see why they were yelling and asking for mercy, because it was such a horrible, horrible, horrible life.

Austin Gardner:

Which is what sin is, by the way. People don't realize that. Any story Jesus tells, he's showing us the awfulness.

Robert Canfield:

Amen. And not only just shows us the awfulness, but then it goes and it shows us how he has power and how he can. I mean, that's why Luke wrote this, so that they might be assured of who Jesus is.

Austin Gardner:

Every religious person turns his back on uh lepers. Wouldn't they? But not Jesus. Well, a leper can't do anything for you, right?

Robert Canfield:

That's right. Cause more problems for you. But the Bible says that Jesus went to that village, and when he saw them, the Bible says he said unto them, Go show yourselves to the priest. They asked for mercy, and Jesus went out there and he said, Go show yourself to the priest. And it came to pass that as they went, the Bible says they were cleaned, or they were cleansed. And one of them saw that he was cleansed, turned back, and with a loud voice, he glorified God. And it says verse 16, he fell down at his feet, giving him thanks, and he was, get this, a Samaritan. Yeah. Which is almost as bad as being a leper. Exactly. He had the double whammy against him. Yep. He was a guy that that didn't go to the temple there in Jerusalem, a guy that worshipped differently, a guy that that most people of the Jewish descent would think that he was subhuman.

Austin Gardner:

Subhuman. That's right. He doesn't fit into society. So, like you said, double whammy. He doesn't fit into society as a leper, but even when he wasn't sick, he didn't fit in. Exactly.

Robert Canfield:

And what happened in his life generated something that caused praise.

Austin Gardner:

Can we stop one second? Go for it. I love it. When you think about Jesus loving the unlovable, yeah. Jesus loving the unworthy. And you may think, somebody listening may think I'm below him. He doesn't love me, he doesn't care about me. I'm probably too bad. Yeah. Well, this right here proves it. This story alone. People avoid me. Yeah. I'm not in. But this story alone proves this guy was a Samaritan. That's bad. That's real bad. People would, they would make their journey much longer to avoid getting around Samaritans. That's what we hear in the story. But Jesus, it seems like Jesus always wants to go to those places. Yeah, Jesus loves hurting people. He does. If they're if you're hurting and you're listening, Jesus loves you.

Robert Canfield:

He's after you. He's near. He's coming by. And these men's, these guys who who who were dealing with all that, their their request was simple. Have mercy on us. And Jesus cleansed them.

Austin Gardner:

No, this podcast is followed by mercy. And Jesus is mercy in human flesh.

Robert Canfield:

And mercy came to them, and mercy changed them. Completely. Completely. And one guy recognized it, and his response was.

Austin Gardner:

I think they all recognized they got changed, but they were so self-centered. That's right. So self-focused. Which is great, and gratitude is because you don't see that somebody helped you.

Robert Canfield:

Exactly. Gratitude is seeing that not only someone didn't help you, or gratitude is brought about when you realize that you didn't deserve what you got. Yep. Gratitude is realizing that I have all I need. Am I stretching that? I mean that's true. I think when expectations aren't being met.

Austin Gardner:

I call these guys in ungrateful. There was a lack of gratitude because I think they felt like, well, we got what we asked for, and that's good enough. He didn't, they didn't look at him as having done something very special. Yeah. Not enough to go back and at least thank them. They were they are so set on, I'm gonna go see the priest, I'm going back to my family, look how my life has changed, look how great things are, things are going good for me, and I don't really care who did what for me. And in my life, I'm guilty of that. I think it's probably true. And if we look at it, many, many times in our lives, we are so consumed with ourselves we don't pay attention to what God's doing.

Robert Canfield:

Sometimes not only am I consumed with myself, but sometimes I get around people that only glorify, lift up this list that they have, these rules that they give, the sin that I need to avoid, and I don't realize the Savior what he's done. I'm oftentimes remembered or reminded myself. Just last a couple weeks ago, I I look back and I got ordained. It's been it's been I think it popped up in my memories too. I think it's been 15 years since I've been ordained in the ministry or 14 years. I don't remember. It was on October 27th on my my anniversary with my wife. And I think about what I've been ordained to. I've been ordained to the gospel ministry.

Austin Gardner:

To the good news ministry.

Robert Canfield:

If we just start saying words and defining words the way they mean, right? We got good news.

Austin Gardner:

Not guilt news.

Robert Canfield:

Not guilt news. And so many times in my mind, my mind is just so consumed on I have to do this, I have to do this, I have to do this. And it's not, look what he's done, look what he's done, look what he's done, look at mercy, look what mercy's done, look how it's followed you. That's a good point. You know, it's look instead of looking at what I've done, looking at what I've done, looking at what he's done. Exactly. Great. And sometimes we get in those bubbles, that's all we hear. You have to do this, you have to do this, you have to do this. You failed in this, you failed in this. Don't worry, you might fail in this. That doesn't generate thankfulness. And it it turns it, it turns it into drudgery. Turns it into drudgery, it turns it into fear, anxiety, it turns into anything but great, it turns into worry. Yeah. And and thankfulness is like coming at it to a realization of I've been given something great. Yes, we have. And when we realize how much goodness has been following us, when we realize how much greatness, it like oversees, it overwhelms all the negative and the past and the bad.

Austin Gardner:

You know, he comes to me, even though I'm a Samaritan. He comes to me, even though I have leprosy. He comes to me, though I'm an outcast. He comes to me though I'm socially ostracized. He comes to me even though I have failed in every area of my life. And he says, I'm here, I love you. And then he touches me and cleanses me and heals me and makes me right. And he gives me everything I could ever dream of.

Robert Canfield:

He gives all that stuff. I now have a new. You know what I think about when I think so many times I get frustrated because I'm like, God, you haven't given me this. God, I expect this. God, I want this. And I'm reminded, it was at Romans chapter 8, he says that he wasn't willing to spare his own son. He didn't hold back. He gave even down to his son for us. Do you think he's holding back good things from you? No way. I mean, he was if he was willing to give his only begotten son for you, he will freely give us all things. Right. That's what it says right there. And then I then I'm reminded when Jesus was here on this earth and he was talking to the a group of people, I think it was Matthew 7, verse 7-11, somewhere in there, and he talks about, I think it's Matthew 7, he says, You guys are evil. But yet, if your son asks for a piece of bread, you're going, you're gonna give them a stone? And if they ask for a fish, you're gonna give them a serpent. If you, men being evil, know how to give good gifts to the your kids, how much more should your father in heaven give good things to them that ask of them? Yep. And I and I get so consumed in like my thoughts and my wants, and I just don't stop and I just don't look at saying, Man, has not have we not been visited by mercy? And look what God has done for us. Have we not been visited by mercy? I mean, could there not be a little bit of praise? Yep, could there not be a little thank you, a worship? I mean, just sitting down and saying, God, I might lose my health, but actually, I I've got new life.

Austin Gardner:

That's right. I've got abundant life. And God's calling us to just think about what he's done. Exactly. God, I I want that spouse, but wait a second, I'm your bride. You're coming for me. And and today, right now, no matter what's going on in my life, I I should be thankful. If I am alone or if I am sick, or if if I'm aged or whatever it is, I need to say, boy, God is good. He's been good, he's been merciful. He's been good, he is good, and he will be good, he's always good.

Robert Canfield:

And when we sit down and we think about what he's done and seeing that mercy is displayed in our life, what should that generate in our hearts, in our minds?

Austin Gardner:

Yeah.

Robert Canfield:

Gratefulness.

Austin Gardner:

The gratitude ought to be flowing out of us like crazy. That's why he says, in everything, give thanks. That's right. This is the will of God. God is doing great things in in your life. And but to I think to be grateful, how you've got to quit focusing on you. Amen. Focus on what you did wrong, what you did right, what someone else did to you, and see what God has done.

Robert Canfield:

When when the Samaritan leper saw, that's what the Bible says. When he saw that he was healed, he turned back and was glorified. I don't think a lot of people think they're healed. Uh-huh. Good point. I think they think that they're just a broken vessel.

Austin Gardner:

I think they don't see that they're a new creature and old things are passed away and all things are become new. They don't see that they're a saint and they're faithful in Jesus. They don't see that. They don't see the healing. They don't accept the truth. They could they they want to be Ruth, who's been married to Boaz, and she's now no longer a foreigner, and now she's the queen of the whole ranch. And instead of seeing that, they want her wandering around all the time saying I'm just a Moabitist. That doesn't make sense at all. It doesn't make easy. That's who she was. Yeah. Not who she is. And that that's what God has done. He's changed our lives. And people don't see that.

Robert Canfield:

Yeah. When I look and I see that I'm a healed person, that I was a I was a leper. I was a person on the outside. You know what I mean? I was a Samaritan. People didn't want to hang out with me. And then he makes me accepted. Then he makes me accepted. Yep. Then I'm like, you do whatever you want to me. I'm a I still accept you. I love you. I mean, he's already made me accepted. That's right. Nothing you can do can take my joy away. You can't take my thankfulness away. That's what the Lord's done. Exactly. And in our hearts, I think in the believer, there should be this heart of gratitude, a thankfulness, a praise, a worship. Yep. And when you when you hear in Romans, when Romans 1, you talk about the fallen man, the natural man, the man that that that just does whatever he wants, that got that God gives over. You know what the problem was? You know what his problem was? They forgot to be thankful. They saw all the things that he did. They knew who he was, they knew that there was something out there, and they were not thankful. That's right.

Austin Gardner:

And I think that's I think that bridges it a lot into our lives. Probably one of the biggest things ought to happen in all of us is we ought to be much more thankful. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Attitude of gratitude. Is that not it? And that's biblically what you're called to. So if you listen today, how much do you practicing gratitude? Robert, give them, just give me a one-minute help for the guy listening.

Robert Canfield:

Okay, for the guy that's listening. How about this? How about right now you stop where you're at, you get out a pen and paper, get your iPhone, whatever, get on notes, and you start listening things that you can be grateful for. Why don't you just start saying, God, thank you for seeing who I was? And then say, God, not only thank you for seeing who I was, but thank you for actually doing something about it. Saving us. Yeah, God, thank you for sinning Jesus. God, thank you for taking my sin. And just start listing out those things that you start saying thank you. I I've been convicted because I feel like God's so distant last couple. I mean, I just felt like things, I mean, like, God, are you still talking to me anymore? And I remembered that, you know, I was there was times that I was working. I remember I was working at the church, and then I was doing marble in the morning, and I'd I'd be at the marble place by myself, and I was just crying because I was just thinking about how good he was. Yeah. It was like it was like a real presence, like it was right there. Like it was just, I'm not trying to be spooky or anything, but like it was just like an overwhelming gratitude in my heart, mind. I'm like, God, I just don't have that anymore. I'm like, why am I like that? And a lot of times when heartache comes and and disappointment and hurt and pain, that often leads to a bitterness that I've known I've been prone to. Is it not? And I'm like that Naomi. Like, don't call me Naomi anymore. I'm I'm Mara. I'm bitter because he's dealt heavily with me. And I just don't stop and think about he hasn't dealt heavily with me. He's given me more than I could ever ask. He's healed me. And he's not done with me. And he's still using me. And I he's got a plan. And yeah, I messed up. Yeah, I've done this, yeah, I've done that. But he says in his own word, his promises is that all things, all that junk works together for good.

Austin Gardner:

He's gonna take all the mess and all the junk, and he's gonna find a way to do what's best for you and his glory.

Robert Canfield:

He is, he not only does it what's best for me, he takes that junk and turns it into something glorious. Yep. Like you said, we don't even think about that. Well, that's that's not just a that's a trust and a merciful God, is it not? It's a God that's like we've known this. He's always walking around. And I think so many times Jesus is looking around and saying, weren't there 10 of you guys? Only one came back. Where's the other nine?

Austin Gardner:

Yep.

Robert Canfield:

And I think he's reminding us even today.

Austin Gardner:

You you you want to be?

Robert Canfield:

I don't want to be. Oh, oh, we don't have to, yeah. But today, I think I could just sit down and I could just say, I can start not count my many blessings. Just say thank you, name them one by one. Or as my mom would say, ton by ton, right? You just sit down and you say, Thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord.

Austin Gardner:

And the attitude of gratitude will change every part of you, change the way you think, change the way you feel totally.

Robert Canfield:

Oh, it does. It changes your mood, it changes, it changes how you treat people, it changes everything. And and people love that. And people want to be around that, and people want to be around people that are thankful. People want to be, people are like, what are you thankful for? And it just it just does something to a human being. So when I was reading my devotions just a couple weeks ago, I was just like, I that just popped out, and I my heart was this Lord, help me not to be so busy, help me not to be so caught with present stuff that I forget to say thank you. Amen.

Austin Gardner:

Well, I don't know how to tell you. Today you could live different. Just sit down and say thank you. Begin to count all your many blessings, name them. And boy, that's it's been good for me. I hope it's been good for you, and I hope it'll change your life today. If you enjoy the podcast, share it with someone. We'd sure like to invite others to be with us. God bless you.

unknown:

Amen.

Head Shot

Austin Gardner

Host