Sinners and Seeds

"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.” 
-Luke 17:11-19 
  
This morning at church this passage was read, and as the speaker was talking about "Thanks" God spoke to me. He showed me something I had never realised about this passage/story, that it was more then just a story of Thanks and one of our faith now. 
In Luke 8 Jesus tells a story about a farmer who sows seeds, how some seeds fall into good soil and some in bad. There are different kinds of soil that the seeds fall into, but you can look that story up yourself. The point I am making is that these two passages are connected. 
You see, the lepers and the seeds are the same, some of the seeds are planted in soil that lets them grow, but they are soon chocked out, 10 lepers were healed, 9 ran off to the priests, 1 stayed and thanked Christ. Now earlier I mentioned that this passage is connected to our faith now, how? 
So many times I have seen people go off and at church act like good little Christians, and hey I am not judging I was guilty of it as well. Once we put on the shirt and tie we become a different person, but as soon as we take it off we dawn a different kind of suit. One that is worldly. 
You see 10 lepers excepted the forgiveness and cleansing of Christ, like so many now see acknowledge of Christ's sacrifice and gift of forgiveness. But only 1 lepers turned back and thanked him, and of that a Samaritan! 
In Biblical times Samaritans and Jews did not mix, they were frowned upon by Jews, just like a "Christian" might look down upon those who are not Christian. But you see it was the Samaritan, who went back turned back, knowing he was cleansed, not just physically but spiritually. 
So many of us say "I am forgiven" or "I believe in God" but you can say that all you want, until your life becomes one that is honouring, and living out for Christ, your "faith" means nothing. I go to school with people who say they are "Christians" but yet I sit there and listen and watch as they go out and get drunk and high, and swear and so on. I am not looking down on them, rather I am saying, "What are you doing? You are missing out on so much." This is not judgement but rather accountability, which we as Christians are called to do, in verse like Luke 17:3. 
And so like the leper we must turn, seeing we are cleansed and give the thanks to him, knowing that doing things for Christ means nothing, if we are not doing them with Christ.