Your Ministry of Appreciation

Radical gratitude means you’re going to walk through life being grateful in every situation, no matter what—in times of plenty, when times are tight, when times are good, bad, right, wrong, whatever. You can develop an attitude of gratitude by choosing to be grateful in every situation. The attitude of radical gratitude actually serves others; it becomes a ministry.

Have you realized that every believer is a minister? You are a minister! Because every Christian is a minister, that means you should be serving other people. In fact, you’re saved to serve. And one ministry you can develop is the ministry of appreciation.

Do you know what the word “appreciation” means? If you’ve ever bought a car, you know the meaning of depreciation. The moment you drive it off the lot, it’s worth less than you paid for it, even if it’s a brand-new vehicle. Depreciation means “to decrease in value.” Appreciation is the opposite. It means “to increase in value.”

When you appreciate your husband, you raise his value. When you appreciate your wife, you raise her value. When you appreciate your kids, you raise their value. When you appreciate your co-workers, you raise their value to you and to the company. When you appreciate your boss, you raise his or her value.

The ministry of appreciation raises the value of people. As you develop radical gratitude, you can make a ministry out of raising the value of people simply by appreciating them.

The Bible says it like this: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

One of the things I’ve discovered is that everyone needs massive doses of encouragement. I’ve never met anybody who’s said, “Oh no! I don’t need a compliment! I have too many. Please, stop! I’m too affirmed. Don’t give me anymore.”

You have an unqualified need to be affirmed, to be loved, to be appreciated—and so does everybody else. If you want to be used by God, here’s one way: Affirm everyone. Appreciate everyone. Show gratitude to everyone.

That’s how you develop a ministry of appreciation.