A Million Thanks

It is reported that only one book sent to the U.S. Library of Congress for registration has ever been turned down. It was produced by a wealthy and whimsical Texas businessman, who intended to hand out copies to his customers and friends. Its title was “A Million Thanks,” and the book consisted of the word "thanks" repeated one million times. No thanks, replied the Library as they declined to register the book. They stated that a single word is not copyrightable. Although that one word was not considered acceptable for copyright it certainly holds importance. The Holy Spirit thought it important enough to include in the Bible several hundred times. And it seems to be the point of contention in Luke 17. Ten lepers are healed but only one returns to give thanks which prompts Jesus to ask, “Were there not ten cleansed, but where are the nine?” It is here that the Messiah faces one of humanities' greatest ills--ingratitude. Indeed it is a sad commentary when we who receive so much give thanks so little. Such a malady implies that there is an illness that lies within the soul of man that is far greater than the physical. This seems to be the case with the nine lepers referenced by Luke.  Notice how Jesus responds to the one who returns. “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? And he said to him, Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” The terminology used in the last part of that statement is interesting. Bruce Larson comments about it and says, "Ten were healed, but only one was made well, and that's far more important than being healed. The point made here is, that unless gratitude is a part of our nature, we can't be whole people." No doubt this is the reason the Psalmist as well as Paul calls upon us to live a life of unbridled gratitude. “Be thankful to him; in everything give thanks.” We may not have all we want, and our lives may not be void of challenging circumstances but we are admonished to exemplify a lifestyle of thanksgiving. The great commentator, Matthew Henry epitomizes the spirit after being encountered by thieves and robbed. He wrote later in his diary: “Let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second because although they took my purse, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. And fourth, because it was I that was robbed, not I who robbed.” The truth is, on any given day and any given moment, each of us has multiple blessings for which we can give “A Million Thanks!”