Am I Neglecting Something?

"Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?"   Luke 17:17


Food for thought from William MacDonald's book "One Day At A Time":


"The Lord Jesus healed ten lepers but only one returned to thank Him, and that one was a despised Samaritan.

One of the valuable experiences for us in life is to encounter ingratitude, for then we can share in a small degree the heartbreak of God.  When we give generously and do not receive so much as an acknowledgment, we have a greater appreciation of Him who gave His beloved Son for a thankless world.  When we pour out ourselves in tireless service for others, we join the fellowship of the One who took the place of a slave for a race of ingrates.

Unthankfulness is one of the unlovely traits of fallen man.  Paul reminds us that when the pagan world knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful (Rom. 1:21).....

..... Ingratitude permeates all of society.  A radio program called "Job Center of the Air" succeeded in finding jobs for 2500 people.  The emcee later reported that only ten ever took time to thank him.

A dedicated school teacher had poured her life into fifty classes of students.  When she was eighty, she received a letter from one of her former students, telling how much he appreciated her help.  She had taught for fifty years and this was the only letter of appreciation she had ever received.

We said that is is good for us to experience ingratitude because it gives us a pale reflection of what the Lord experiences all the time.  Another reason why is is a valuable experience is that it impresses on us the importance of being thankful ourselves.  Too often our requests to God outweigh our thanksgiving.  We take His blessings too much for granted.  And too often we fail to express our appreciation to one another for hospitality, for instruction, for transportation, for provision, for numberless deeds of kindness.  We actually come to expect these favors almost as if we deserved them.

The study of the ten lepers should be a constant reminder to us that while many have great cause for thanksgiving, few have the heart to acknowledge it.  Shall we be among the few?"

- William MacDonald

This has given me some good food for thought!  So VERY often I'm guilty of ugly ingratitude toward the Lord and the many incredibly loving, kind and generous people He has blessed me by putting in my life!  May I become like the Samaritan in Luke 17... having a heart of thankfulness and taking the time and effort to express it!