"WHAT A LITTLE KINDNESS CAN
DO!"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte
LUKE 1:46-55
Isaiah, as the Holy Spirit gave him insight, wrote about the coming
of Christ, saying: "But there will be no more gloom for her who was in
anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the
way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The
people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a
dark land, The light will shine on them." Isaiah
9:1, 2. A number
of years ago in a Boston mental institution there was a young girl named
Annie who was in gloom and anguish. Hers was a grim, bleak situation. She
lived in darkness. The doctors had placed Annie in a small room and she
received little attention because she was considered to be hopelessly insane.
At times Annie would act violently toward people who came into her room.
At other times she would just ignore them. She was, it seemed, destined
to spend her whole life in this dreadful place. But, there was a retired
nurse who lived nearby who started visiting at the asylum and trying to
communicate some love and hope to the pitiful little waif. When the nurse
first started visiting, Annie acted as if she was not even aware of her
presence. But the nurse kept coming. She had regard for this frail, dejected
and oppressed little creature. Mary spoke of Another who demonstrated regard
for the lowly. In the text known as Mary's Magnificat, she extols God for
His goodness. Why did Mary's soul rejoice? What kindness had God done that
elicited her praise? Hear what she says and note that as the nurse had
regard for Annie, so:
GOD
HAS REGARD FOR THE HUMBLE: V48:
What does it mean that God has regard
for us?
The word means "to gaze at with favor,
pity or partiality."
It means He keeps His eyes on us with
great concern and gentle care. God looks at you with preference, interest,
kindness and He sees you as very special!
There are two extremes to avoid here.
One extreme is to think that God's
regard is tantamount to a hawk-eyed vigilante seeking whom He might discover
in some misdeed so He can punish it, or whom He might find having a good
time so He can squelch it.
The other extreme is to think that
God dotingly looks with a wink on all our doings as if our sinning is some
sort of benign mischief upon which God, like a grand-daddy in the sky,
looks with amusement and tolerance.
Neither extreme could be more wrong!
Yet, God does keep His eyes on us because He has regard for us!
Proverbs
5:21 "For the ways
of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He watches all his paths."
Proverbs
15:3 "The eyes of
the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good."
He does behold our sinning and our
good, and He beholds our going out and coming in, our sighing and groaning,
our laughter and our joy, but always with a desire to keep us from sin
and on the path of rightness and to help us in our difficulties.
It ought to be a matter of concern
to us that we not be sinning in His sight and a matter of comfort that
we are never out of His watch-care. His regard to us is tender, concerned
and kind. Nothing goes on in your life about which God is unaware and uncaring.
His heart is fond in its affectionate regard for us.
The retired nurse had a tender heart.
She not only had pity for Annie but decided to do some little thing to
show her love. One day the nurse brought some brownies and left them in
Annie's room. Annie did not respond, but when the nurse returned the next
day, the brownies were gone. So, every day after that she would bring brownies
and leave them for Annie. And every day Annie consumed those brownies.
Mary rejoiced that God not only looked upon the lowly with regard, but
then acted to do something for them. As the nurse did something for Annie,
so:
GOD
HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US ALL: VV49-53:
Mary used a word which we have incorporated
into our own language. She said, "God has done mega-things for me!"
If we want to state how huge or immense
or enormous something is we call it "a mega-something." "He's a mega-jerk!"
or "I have a mega-headache!"
If we want to talk about a large number
we say, for instance, "megahertz" to indicate a million cycles, or "megabytes"
to indicate a million bytes of computer information.
God has not only done great things,
but He has done an exceeding number of great things for us!
So, what does Mary list as God's mega-deeds?
He put the proud to flight and brought
down rulers, for God is always opposed to the smug, conceited and arrogant
who lord it over others.
He exalted the humble for God always
gives grace to the lowly, who esteem themselves but little.
He filled the hungry and sent away
the rich empty for He always thwarts the rich who are selfish, uncaring
and who find some fleeting security in their possessions and always meets
the needs of His own.
You see, God always resists the prideful
and cocky and materialistic and always exalts and blesses and does great
things for those who consider themselves insignificant and who trust entirely
in Him.
And God knows just what to do for
His own! What great thing has God done for you? The greatest thing is to
save you.
Day by day the retired nurse visited
Annie, bringing her brownies. After awhile the doctors began to notice
a marked and dramatic change taking place. Annie was calmer and the violent
episodes were fewer and milder. They decided to move Annie upstairs, out
of the dark basement room and began to work with her. What the nurse did
was not only an act of kindness, it was a deed that truly helped Annie.
Mary reminds us that God did a great thing for us in Jesus Christ, and
moreover, it was exactly the help we all need. As the nurse helped Annie,
so:
GOD GIVES HELP TO THOSE
WHO SERVE HIM: V54:
Mary used a word that has a double
meaning:
First it means to take hold of someone
to assist or support them so they don't fall down in their weakness.
Second it means to take the part of
someone, as a big brother standing up to a bully to defend his little brother.
Benjamin Franklin was wrong when he
said, "God helps those who help themselves." The truth is, God helps those
who cannot help themselves! And Mary knew that God is the helper of the
helpless.
How has God helped the helpless?
Psalms
10:14 "Thou hast
seen it, for Thou hast beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Thy
hand. The unfortunate commits himself to Thee; Thou hast been the helper
of the orphan."
Psalms
18:6 "In my distress
I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice
out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears."
Psalms
46:1 "God is our
refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble."
Isaiah
25:4 "For Thou hast
been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress,
A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall."
Romans
5:6 "For while we
were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
Hebrews
4:16 "Let us therefore
draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and may find grace to help in time of need."
God intends to work in us and through
us and for us to our help, our strength, our support, our comfort, our
betterment.
The nurse wanted to help Annie, but not knowing what else to do, she just
kept bringing brownies and visiting. Finally Annie responded. Week by week
she kept improving. She began to respond in intelligent ways to the doctors.
Finally, after a long time, she was going to be released to go home, but
Annie didn't leave. She chose instead to stay and help others as she had
been helped by a little kindness. By the way, Annie was Anne Sullivan who
later became teacher and mentor to Helen Keller! And now you know the rest
of the story! It's a marvel what a little kindness can do. And God has
been kind to us. He didn't have to send His Son, but He did. Jesus didn't
have to give His life, but He did. His love triumphs where sheer justice
falls short. What work has God done in your life? What work does God still
need to do? Are you confined in the room of selfishness and greed? Are
you in the dungeon of despair and hopelessness? Does the darkness of doubt
and unbelief blind you? Does anger and bitterness blight your days? Someone
comes to you with help. It's Jesus Himself. He has regard for you, He wants
to do a great thing for you, and stands ready to help you. It is His kind
intention to make you other than you are. He wants to replace your restlessness
with peace; your anger with kindness; your negativity with optimism and
hope; your bitterness with gentleness, your sorrow with joy, your sin for
His righteousness. He wants to exchange your dungeon for a place in His
Father's House. And He wants you, in turn, to share with others what He's
done for you as you seek to be a help in their lives. Jesus calls us to
Himself today -- those who hear and believe may come and to all who come
He gives light and life and liberty. Come to Him and you'll see what His
great kindness can do!
Story from "Illustrations Stories
and Quotes to Hang Your Message On," Jim Burns, Greg McKinnon, Gospel Light