I have heard the song “Thank You for Giving to the Lord” so many times that I just about know the words by heart. It was written by Ray Boltz as a testimony to his father and performed for the first time at his father’s funeral. The song is a beautiful and moving testimony to a life lived for Christ.
On a recent Sunday morning, the song was to be sung right before the sermon. As the music began, the words began running through my head. Then something happened that I attribute to a moment with God.
My mind flashed back to my sixth grade Sunday School class. Mrs. Childress was standing before the eight or nine of us in that basement area asking us to repeat the weekly memory verse.
For those who had learned the verse, a gold star was pasted on the chart taped to the only wall in our area. The other three sides were formed by curtains used to divide the space. It was less than an ideal learning environment.
It was cramped and noisy and had lots of distractions. But Mrs. Childress was there every Sunday morning teaching us the Bible and about God’s love.
Perhaps I remembered Mrs. Childress because it was during that Sunday School year that I gave my heart to Jesus and accepted Him as my personal Lord and Savior. I cannot think of her without deep appreciation.
Lasting gold stars
I also thought of the church where my children were reared. I remembered people who had invested in my children. I thought of a particular Church Training leader who worked tirelessly with my daughter helping her memorize Scripture verses for Bible Drill. The immediate goal was to be a state perfect winner, which she was, just like her mother and grandmother before her. The ultimate goal was a deep love for God’s Word that still characterizes my daughter’s life.
For my son, it was a music leader that made a difference in his life as he sang in the children’s and youth choirs, ensembles and quartets and played the piano. He loved vocal and instrumental music and participated throughout high school and college. Today he sings in his church choir and is a frequent soloist. But it all started with the patience of countless workers — especially the director who led his children’s choir.
That Sunday morning I thought of my oldest grandson’s home church and the woman who started a 4- and 5-year-old Sunday School class, so he would have a class to attend when he left the nursery. She loved that little boy like he was her own grandson, and he loved her in return.
I also wondered who would lead my grandchildren in Bible study this year, those in Alabama and those in Georgia? Who would be their choir leaders? Who would help form their images of God and of His church? Would these leaders be giving to the Lord through serving others or would they just be doing a job?
Perhaps those questions came because that very morning a young mother had stood before our Sunday School department and asked for help. Parents of the children were helping, she reported, but more assistance was needed.
The children’s programs were short-staffed in Mission Friends and children’s choirs. Could some of us please volunteer to help? she asked.
It was not an unusual request. The new church year is about to start, and many churches face the same problem. There is more work to do than there are volunteers to do the work. Those already involved are beating the bushes trying to enlist helpers. So, in Sunday School departments across Alabama, pleas are voiced for volunteers.
As the soloist sang “Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am so glad you gave,” tears filled my eyes. I thanked God for those who gave to Him in ways that made a difference in my life and in the lives of family members. I prayed about how I can give to the Lord through service, about the lives in my church that need to be touched as I was touched.
When the song finished, church members responded enthusiastically. Across the auditorium I could see people wipe away tears, just as I was doing. But it is not tears or applause that mark a moment with the Lord. It is not even saying a prayer of thanksgiving for what has happened in one’s own life. To end there is only selfishness.
‘So glad you gave’
A moment with the Lord is marked by change. In this case, change that causes us to give ourselves to the Lord through service to others.
It is volunteering to help with the children’s program or the youth program or wherever there is opportunity to make a difference for the Lord through serving others. It is not just agreeing to do a “job.” It is making a difference in lives through loving and leading and serving.
“I am so glad you gave” — that is the closing line of the song. I wonder if anyone will say that to me when I get to heaven. Will anyone say that to you?
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