S –  ^“As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy^, met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 

Luke 17:12–13 CSB

O – “Distance” – pŏrrhō:   forwards, i.e. at a distance:— far, a great way off.

 The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words 

* This was customary and expected that anyone with leprosy would keep a distance from others.  Being that nine of the ten were Jewish, they would follow this custom.  They had to raise their voices to cover the span between them and Jesus.

A – This story usually gets a lot of traction on gratitude or the lack of gratitude after the healing. Today, I want to dive into the distance.  Whether a Christian or not, sin brings distance.  It brings shame, guilt and condemnation and we distance ourselves from God in this area of our lives.  What spans the chasm between us and God’s love?  Jesus.  He is our bridge.  The key is daily relationship and conversation with God, through Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

R – Lord, I am grateful for Jesus and the love He showed me on the cross.  I invite the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me throughout my day.  Show me areas of my life where my sin brings distance so I can interact with you to close the gap between us.  I do not want distance between us.