It happens only once every 400 years. The date today, October 10, 2010. So what does it mean? Any significance here on the surface, below the surface?

In a post-Christian era, world citizens may seek for clues for the meanings of ten for good or bad in mystical or occult-ish places. Some may not be seeking at all.

Here are few clues from our immediate world.

Ten is around a lot. Maybe the number makes us warm and fuzzy. It is just a good round digit to use for many things — not too many or too little — enough to make a statement without a lot of effort.

There are the ever ubiquitous Top Ten lists.

Top Ten To Do, Top Ten Reasons, Top Ten Links/Websites, Top Ten Music/Songs, Top Ten Movies, Top Ten Headlines, Top Ten Jokes, Top Ten Mistakes, Late Show Top Ten, Top Ten Reviews/Lists.

Starbuck’s was the first brand on Facebook to have 10 million fans. Imagine that?

Life is a picture of revelation. From the monumental to the mundane, God is relentlessly revealing Himself to creation. He is always speaking.

So let’s take a look at the Source of Life for a few tens from the past that are applicable for today. A few famous tens…

Noah was the tenth generation from God.

The Ten Commandments

The Lord’s Prayer has ten clauses.

The Tithe is a tenth portion due to God from man, recognizing his ownership of the whole.

The Ten Plagues

Ten Nations gathered by the anti-Christ

The Silver Sockets surrounding the foundation of the tabernacle were 10 x 10

Fire Came from Heaven ten times.

Ten Times people shouted for joy!

The Ten “I Ams of Jesus”

And the list goes on… for Scriptural references and more info log on here.

My personal favorite is from Luke 17, the healing of the ten lepers:

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

One out of ten returned to give thanks. One out of ten gave God the glory. In a world that is moving away from the Creator at record speed, let me be the one of ten who pauses to acknowledge him. I want to be in that number.

He could have called ten thousand angels to rescue himself from the cross and the tomb, but he stayed and endured for me.

It will take ten thousand years to begin to say thank you…