THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
Colossians 3:12-17
INTRODUCTION
Mildred Hondorff, a former elementary school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa, tells of life-changing experience she had with a pupil. Supplementing her income by teaching piano lessons she taught a “musically challenged” pupil by the name of Robby.
She really didn’t want to give him lessons because he was eleven and she liked to start them at a younger age. But because he said it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play, she agreed to have him as a student. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel; Mildred thought it was a hopeless endeavor.
Nevertheless, over the ensuing months he dutifully
practiced his lessons while she listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each lesson he would always say, “My mom’s going to hear me play some day.” But it seemed hopeless as he just
didn’t have any inborn ability. Mildred only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.Then one day Robby stopped coming to lessons. Mildred thought about calling him but assumed, because of his lack of ability he pursuing something else. She was glad he had stopped coming for he was a bad advertisement for her teaching. Some time later she mailed out flyer’s on an upcoming recital. To her surprise Robby asked her if he could be in the recital. She told him that since he had dropped out he really did not qualify.He said that his mom had been sick and was unable to take him to his lessons but he had still been practicing.“Miss Hondorf,” he pleaded, “I just have to play!” To make a long story short, something within her caused her to reach out to him in a special way.
Against her better judgments, she allowed him to play in the recital. The night of the recital came and the high school gymnasium was packed. She put Robby last on the program thinking that any damage done would be overlooked by her closing piece. Finally Robby came up on stage, his clothes were wrinkled and his hair a
mess. She wondered why his mother didn’t dress him up and comb his hair. She was further surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart’s Concerto #21 in C Major. She was not prepared for what she heard next.
His fingers were light on the keys and she had never heard Mozart played so well by anyone of his age.
After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild surprise. Overcome and in tears she ran up on the stage and put her arms around him.“I’ve never heard you
play like that Robby!How did you do it?” Through the microphone Robby explained: “Well Miss Hondorf, remember I told you my mom was sick?Well actually she had cancer and passed away this morning.She was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play and I wanted to make it special.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house that evening. Mildred couldn’t help but think how much richer her life had become because she wanted to make a difference in Robby’s
life.She reached out and took a chance on a hurting and needy little boy.That night she said he became the teacher as he taught her the meaning of love and the
importance of reaching out to others and ministering to them in some special way.It became even more meaningful to her since after serving in Desert Stor
Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995.
Life is tough. Hurt, pain, loneliness, emptiness, rejection, illness and a host of other unpleasant realities define so much of life today. Such is the inevitable consequence of living in this sin-marred world. As a result, there is a pressing need for us to reach out and touch a life. We all have it within our power to make a significant difference in the lives of others as did Mildred Hondorff. God expects us to do just that! That is His plan to help hurting, burdened
people.
Galatians 6:2 commands us to “BEAR EACH OTHER’S BURDENS AND SO FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST.”
We are here on earth to make a difference by serving the Lord. We serve Him and fulfill the purpose of our existence by serving others,by ministering to one another.In so doing we glorify God, bless others and bless ourselves. The giving of thanks enables us to be faithful in our God given task of reaching out to others and making a difference in their lives.
GIVE THANKS
Indeed, God commands us to give thanks.It is one of God’s greatest desires for us. The Psalms continually encourage us to “ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING; GIVE THANKS TO HIM AND PRAISE HIS NAME.” Our morning text instructs us in vs. 17 to “GIVE THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER.” Verse 16 concludes with our need to have “…GRATITUDE IN OUR HEARTS.”Verse 15 exhorts us to thankfulness as it says, “AND BE THANKFUL.” “Literally it says, ‘BECOME THANKFUL,’ because we are to keep on striving for a deeper gratitude then we have yet attained” (113/821/Hughes).We are commanded to regularly give thanks not because God is an egocentric
Being who needs our gratitude but because a thankful heart is essential for our well-being. The giving of thanks is for our good.The consequences of a grateful heart are many, varied and powerful. Our concern this morning is with just one of them. The thankful heart is a faithful heart. The heart that regularly gives thanks is the heart that serves God by faithfully ministering to others.Such is the power of gratitude.
GRATITUDE RESULTS IN SERVICE
Gratitude enriches and blesses our lives because it, more than anything else, motivates and empowers us to fulfill the purpose of our existence which is to do the work of the Lord. That work always involves serving and ministering to others. In 1 Corinthians 15:58 we are commanded to “GIVE YOURSELF TO THE
WORK OF THE LORD.” As believers we are each, first and foremost, servants of the Lord. Serving the Lord means ministering in some way to those around us. Such is God’s desire and design for us. A life of service leads to blessedness. It gives our lives meaning, fulfillment and joy.
While speaking to His disciples about reaching out and ministering to others, Jesus said in John 13:17, “YOU WILL BE BLESSED.”
Yet it is so easy to fail to reach out and make a difference in the lives of those to whom Christ would have us minister. Our humanness so often gets in the way and prevents us from doing such. We are often hindered by self-centeredness, selfishness and materialism. Worldly possessions have a tendency to make us selfish and greedy. They are addicting.The more we have the more we want and the more self-centered and selfish we become. Overwhelmed by our insatiable desires, the springs of generosity dry up.
We are unable to care and share as we should. We forget that we are but stewards of all that we have, be it our time, talents or resources. We then fail to make a difference in the Robby’s who God continually sends across our paths. We miss our chance to make a difference in the lives of those who are lonely, hurting,hungry, or hopeless.The disadvantaged and the troubled become someone else’s problem. We might be moved by their plight but not enough to do something about it. Such is a consequence of our humanness. There is, however, a remedy for this problem.Their is a cure for this all too human disease of self-centeredness and selfishness that often prevent us from ministering.It is a thankful heart. The cure is found in the power of gratitude.It is no accident that our text which stresses thankfulness begins with these words:“…AS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE…..CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS AND PATIENCE….” These are the characteristics that we must possess if we are to reach out to others and make a
difference in their lives.
To the Apostle Paul thanksgiving and Christian service go hand in hand. There is, indeed, a connection between the giving of thanks and the giving of one’s self in ministry to others. A thankful heart bears
the burdens of others.A thankful heart is haracterized by compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness. True thanks pushes us to action.
FOUNDATION FOR GRATITUDE
When it comes to gratitude, a word of caution is in
order. Our gratitude should not be first and foremost for the many “things” with which God has blessed us. Rather, our gratitude should be for God Himself.As theologian John Piper writes, “… gratitude that is pleasing to God is not first a delight in the benefits God gives (although that is part of it).”Certainly we should be thankful for the blessings in our lives. Food, clothing, shelter, possessions and, indeed, all
the good things in our lives come to us from
the hand of God.
James 1:17 tells us that “EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, COMING DOWN FROM OUR HEAVENLY FATHER….”
“True gratitude, however, must be rooted in something else that comes first, namely, a delight in the beauty and excellency of God’s character. If this is not the foundation of our gratitude than our gratitude is not pleasing to God. God is not glorified if the foundation of our gratitude is the worth of the gift
and not the excellency of the Giver. If gratitude is not rooted in the beauty of God before the gift, it is
probably disguised as idolatry.” (213/1001/Piper) Idolatry, the worshipping of God’s blessings rather than God Himself is an ever present temptation for all of us. It is a subtle sin that easily overtakes us, often without our even being aware of it. We must constantly be on our guard for this insidious sin.
As believers, we worship the Giver rather than the gift. “By way of contrast, imagine a wealthy young man who comes to court a woman. After showering her with attention and gifts, he proposes marriage. Surely we would question her motives if she replied, ‘I want to
marry you because I like what you can do for me. Your money will buy me lots of things. I like what you give me, but I am bored with you.’”(Neil Wiseman)Although we are thankful for God’s blessings, we must, first and foremost, thank God for God.
Psalm 22 is a Psalm that thanks God for God. It is a Psalm that takes us deeper into thankfulness, to the very foundation for a life of gratitude. 1 Chronicles 16:34 says, “GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD, HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.”
If God Himself is not the reason and foundation of our gratitude, idolatry results. We find ourselves desiring things more than God. We find ourselves loving our possessions more than we love God. The acquiring of more and more temporal possessions and positions becomes more important than worshipping God.
Money and possessions then crowd God out of His rightful place in our lives. We then find ourselves violating the first and greatest commandment of all
which is to: “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL AND MIND” (Matthew 22:37).
“True gratitude is rooted in a delight in the beauty and excellency of God.” We live in a hurting, painful world. Life, under the best of circumstances, is often difficult Tragedy, disappointment, rejection and heartache come to everyone of us. It can’t be otherwise in our sin-marred world. Nevertheless God does care about us and love us and He wants us to know it. But pain often blinds us to this truth. During such times God desires to use us to convey this truth to someone, especially during difficult times when he/she is hurting and tends to doubt God’s love and care. God puts people in our lives so that we can
we reach out to them and make a difference in their lives. And He, in turn, puts others in our lives when we need them the most.In so doing we can all know
God’s love and care even when the circumstances of our lives scream out, telling us otherwise.
As Pastor Neil Wiseman points out, “true thanksgiving is action, and gratitude leads to servanthood. We say thanks for life by living it fully in the way the Lord wants it lived.” The best way to say “thank you” to God is by serving Him, by reaching out and touching someone’s life.“As each day begins, we open ourselves to his purposes with thanks for life and a request that we may be directed to share energy and love with someone who needs it.Every God-given ability has some useful expression in the lives of other people.”
No truly grateful person will use his or her time, gifts and abilities only for themselves without also seeking to use them for others in service to God. We express our gratitude to God by reaching out to those who are going through tough and trying times. “Every genuinely thankful Christian is an active servant of Christ.” GOD IS GLORIFIED AND WE ARE BLESSED We are here on earth to serve the Lord. We serve Him and fulfill the purpose of our existence by ministering to others.In so doing we are able to people during the most difficult and painful times of their lives. We are able to let them know that God really does love them and care for them.But we do more than that. -We also glorify God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “EACH ONE OF
US…..SHOULD SERVE OTHERS…SO THAT GOD MAY BE PRAISED…”
In caring for each other, we truly do glorify God.
When we reach out to the Robby’s in our lives , we also bless ourselves. Horace Mann observed that “doing nothing for others is the undoing of self.” We lose out when we fail to reach out and make a difference in the lives of the needy and hurting all around us.The heart that serves gets large and full of joy.It more fully appreciates its blessings.“We do ourselves the most good doing something for others.” (114/937)
Without question gratitude motivates and empowers us to live our lives on a higher plane. Gratitude transforms life. It allows God to do a mighty
work of grace in our lives and the lives of others.
CONCLUSION
Every day people who could use a little encouragement cross our path.There are many Robbys all around us. God sends our way those who need to hear a kind word.
Or those who need a listening ear or someone to lean on.People cross our paths who need someone to take an interest in them and to care.God expects us to reach out to them and to make a difference.Busy schedules, weariness and our own problems and hurts often combine to keep us from doing such.We all struggle to be faithful servants of God. We all need help. Help is available.It comes in the form of a thankful heart.
Gratitude is powerful.It motivates and moves us to act on behalf of others. May God give us a deeper sense of gratitude for his excellency, beauty, and goodness. And may we much more frequently expresses our thanks to Him for His material and spiritual blessings.
If we do, more of the Robbys of this world will be blessed.
