OceanSide church of Christ

 Previous Return to Articles Next 

A Word Worth One Hundred Dollars
by: Dalton Gilreath

Rudyard Kipling, a renowned writer and poet, was once told his writings had been calculated to be so valuable that he was making one hundred dollars per word. The man who gave him this news pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and asked him for a one hundred dollar word. Kipling took the money, put it in his pocket and said, “Thanks.”

While it probably wasn’t what the reporter expected, Kipling certainly made a great point. For Christians, the word “thanks” ought to leave our lips without ceasing. Biblically, the word and its various forms are found 131 times in the King James Bible. Clearly, God places an emphasis on being grateful and expressing that gratitude in prayer, daily speech, and even our actions (1 Thess 5:18). This shouldn’t be difficult, although, we might make it that way sometimes as we tend to focus on the negative. However, there is never a moment that we do not have many, many things for which we ought to be grateful. Next time you are down remind yourself of a few of these blessings. Next time you pray be sure to express that gratitude to God before asking for anything in addition. And if we are able to focus on our blessings we in turn will find ourselves pillowing our heads at night filled with contentment and peace. While he may not have realized it, Kipling is spot on in saying that “thanks” is a one hundred dollar word.