Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? – Luke 17:17
Of the ten lepers who Jesus healed, only one came back to thank and worship Him. As much as I want to believe that I’d be just as thankful as that one leper was, there have been many times in my life when I’ve become so preoccupied with the gift that I’ve rushed right past the Giver Himself. When this occurs, it’s not some sort of minor moral failure. No, it’s far more serious – it is spiritual neglect. No different than the nine who carried on without any thought of what Jesus had done for them, I too have missed joyous appointments for praise and worship. And that is no small matter!
See, the point is that Jesus isn’t passive about thankfulness. “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” – Jesus’ question carries an expectation. He notices our ingratitude in the same way that a father notices an empty chair at the table. It’s not his way of condemning us just for the sake of making us feel bad. Rather, it’s a wake-up call.
My tendency sometimes is to treat God like a means to an end, that somehow I’m entitled to His blessing. Hey, God – Fix the problem for me so I can move on, okay? But a genuine heart for God pauses. It turns back and worships Him. Gratitude isn’t a trivial acknowledgement of a courtesy extended, like thanking someone for holding the door open for us. Thankfulness is the natural overflow of having met the One who heels us, who saves us, and who restores us.
So when God does something for us, whether big or small, we should take a moment to look back, acknowledge His goodness, and respond with gratitude. Having genuine thankfulness in our heart reorients us. It reminds us of who we are in relation to Him.
Former Blackout Artist 