Who Will Thank You When All Has Been Said and Done?

Are you familiar with the song, “Thank You,” by Ray Boltz? This soft, simple tune from 1988 lacks the amped-up instrumentation and energetic vocals of much of today’s Christian rock music, but it packs a powerful message of hope and inspiration.

 

The lyrics tell about a person who dies, goes to heaven and discovers the impact of his life he had never known. He encounters a boy who met Jesus Christ while he was teaching a Sunday school class; another who came to faith through a missionary he supported, and then a slew of other people whose lives he had touched in other ways without being aware of it.

 In our society we tend to pay homage to the popular preachers, best-selling authors and celebrated singers, but as “Thank You” teaches, the greatest difference for the kingdom of God can be made by ordinary folks going about their ordinary lives. It reminds me of the theme from the iconic Christmas film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” in which George Bailey is rescued from the depth of despair when he learns how the selflessness and sacrifices made during his life had positively affected so many other people.

 

Jesus taught this principle to the disciples in His parable about separating the sheep from the goats. In the story, the King tells His true followers – the sheep – to prepare for receiving their rightful inheritance:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

 

When they ask when they had done these things for the King, He replies, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:31-40). Then He compares them to the “goats,” who had done none of these acts of kindness and compassion – and instead of eternal rewards, would receive eternal punishment.

 

This particular parable could be examined in different ways, but what’s most interesting to me is that the people being commended in this story didn’t even remember having done these kind deeds. I can think of several folks to whom I have had the opportunity to express my appreciation for what they added to my life, and in most instances they had no idea of the impact they had made.

 

In His Great Commission, recounted in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His followers, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations….” A possibly better translation of the opening phrase would be, “As you are going, make disciples.” In a similar way, as we grow in our faith, seeking to serve the Lord and His people, we’re to do this as we are going. There’s a place for planning special events and undertaking major projects, but I believe that from God’s perspective, our best work is accomplished simply as we are going along in our lives.

 

It's not a matter of what we must do for God, but rather, as we yield ourselves to Him as “instruments of righteousness” (Romans 6:13), it’s what we allow Him to do through us – even things of which we are totally unaware.

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Do you remember Gomer Pyle, the cuddly sitcom character portrayed by Jim Nabors? As a naïve Southern bumpkin blissfully navigating life as a U.S. Marine, Gomer often greeted his sometimes-friend, sometimes-nemesis, Sgt. Carter, by announcing. “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” in his hayseed accent.

Well, I’ve been wondering if, when we get to Heaven, and someone like Gomer Pyle were there to greet us, whether we’d also be welcomed with the words, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”

If there’s a Heaven – and I have no doubt about that – we can only speculate what it will be like. The Bible speaks quite a bit about it. Randy Alcorn actually wrote a 560-page book, appropriately named Heaven, detailing what he believes the Scriptures tell us. But as it states in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." At best, as a popular MercyMe song expresses, we can only imagine.

So we can expect many surprises when we get there, things far beyond human comprehension. Someone has said we’ll likely be surprised by who we see there, who we don’t see there, and – once the reality of being in the presence of our holy God has sunk in – even surprised and overwhelmed with gratitude that He allowed us to be there.

But there’s another kind of surprise I’m anticipating, one suggested by another tune from years ago, “Thank You,” by Ray Boltz. The song’s refrain, “Thank you for giving to the Lord,” is repeated – referring to giving not only money but also time, prayer and care.

Envision a scenario in which a tour guide, if not Gomer Pyle then maybe someone like Joey Tribbiani in the sitcom, “Friends.” He welcomes us saying, with a big smile, “Hi, how ya doin’?” Then he commences to give the proverbial cook’s tour of the celestial realms. Afterward he asks something like, “So, do you see anyone you know?” We look around and recognize faces of old friends and loved one who arrived before us. As we continue glancing around, other faces seem somewhat familiar, but not as easy to identify.

After we’ve finished spotting people from our temporal lives, the guide – or perhaps the Lord Himself – starts introducing us to people we never met face to face, but whose lives were touched by something we said or did, maybe things we don’t even recall or weren’t aware of at the time.

The Boltz song describes people that gave to support missionaries, performed acts of generosity and compassion, taught a Sunday school class, or invested in someone’s life in other ways.

There’s no limit to how we can have a positive, everlasting impact in the life of another person, simply by saying or doing what God impresses upon our hearts to do. One biblical truth not often mentioned is that in heaven there will be rewards, bestowed in recognition of faithful service and stewardship of the gifts and resources God entrusted to us on earth.

For instance, 2 Corinthians 5:10 states, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” The Bible clearly asserts our eternal destiny is solely “by grace through faith…and not by works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But there still will be accountability for how we lived.

So what has God placed in your hands to use in serving others? What opportunities is He sending so you can reflect the presence of Christ to other people? When the day comes, who might be waiting to say “thank you” for something you did – or said? What will be your “surprise, surprise, surprise”?