2 Samuel 9:3 - Showing kindness

The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”  Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”

Giving to a good cause or donating to an organization are great things to do, but have you ever sought out someone to show kindness to? David took the time to seek out a relative of his good friend Jonathan to whom he could show God's kindness. This may be something we think of doing at Christmas or Thanksgiving, but there are always those around us in need, we just have to open our eyes to see them.

Lord, thank you for your loving kindness to us. Please show us someone to whom we can show your kindness. Amen

2 Samuel 2:26 - Mercy

Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

After the death of Saul, the army of Saul continued to fight David's army. David's army was stronger and was defeating Saul's army, but Abner (from Saul's army) called out and asked for mercy. David's army backs down. This is not the end of the war, but it demonstrates the kind of army David lead. Are we the kind of person who takes every advantage offered to us, or are we merciful?

Lord, thank you for being merciful to us. Please help us to be merciful to others. Amen.

1 Corinthians 5:9-10 - Tolerance

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

In this passage, Paul is telling the Corinthian church not to associate with someone who claims to be a brother or sister in Christ, but does not attempt to live like a Christian. In verse 12 Paul says, "What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church."

Lord, please help us to be tolerant of those outside the church, showing only love and kindness, not judgement. Amen.

Romans 3:23 - Loving a struggling sinner

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

When someone close to us is struggling with sin what do we do? Well, first we pray. We ask God to fix the situation. But then what do we do? How do we cope? What do we say to them? Lectures and judgement probably won't do much to help. God shows "kindness, forbearance and patience" (2:4). To help us in our frustration and to help them, we can remind them and ourselves of the above verse. I am a sinner, you are a sinner. We are all equal at the foot of the cross.

Lord, thank you for loving us even though we have all sinned. Please help us to offer kindness, forbearance and patience, just as you do. Amen.

Proverbs 11:12 - Unoffendable and merciful

Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
     but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

Be unoffendable and merciful because I am a sinner. This is a lesson God has been working on teaching on me. And last night I blew it. I said something mean to my next door neighbor. I suppose I thought I had "righteous indignation", but truly, there is never a reason to be mean. Just this weekend I heard a speaker talk about this very subject. Most people know their sin and already feel guilty about it. Pointing it out to them does not help. Even if they don't recognize their problem, me being mean to them about it isn't going to help the situation at all. How likely are they to make any changes because I was mean?

Lord, thank you for offering me unlimited mercy, Please forgive me for deriding my neighbor. Amen.

Ephesians 4:32 - Holiday stress

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

The holiday season can be a very stressful time of year. Let's all remember to be kind and compassionate to each other,

Lord, thank you for being the great example of kindness, compassion and forgiveness. Help us to offer these to our fellow humans. Amen.

Psalm 28:3 - Behind their back

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
     with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
     but harbor malice in their hearts.

I am too easily swayed by the opinions of people around me. When someone is talking negatively about a person, I may join in the negative talk. If I do, when I see that person it is so hard for me to look them in the eye and treat them with respect. In one sense it is good, it is hard for me to "speak cordially but harbor malice." But, I don't have to worry about this if I don't talk bad about people in the first place.

Lord, thank you for the wisdom of your word. Lord help me to only speak and think kind thoughts about people. Amen.

Psalm 27:13 - There is good

I remain confident of this:
     I will see the goodness of the Lord
     in the land of the living.

In these dark days, it is hard to see the good, but it is there. Look for it. Focus on it. Use it to fuel more good.

Lord, thank you for your goodness. Please help us to see that goodness and to share it with others. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 2:15b - Hostile

They displease God and are hostile to everyone.

This verse is in reference to the Jews who killed Jesus, the prophets and drove out those preaching Christ. If our beliefs are causing us to be hostile to everyone, our beliefs need to be reexamined. Hostile is a strong word. Even enemies are to be forgiven and treated kindly.

Lord, thank you for offering us forgiveness and kindness. Please help us to offer forgiveness and kindness to everyone. Amen.

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Exodus 23:4-5 - The right way to treat an enemy

If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

How are we to treat our enemies? Here God is talking about an enemy within our community, someone with whom we have a personal relationship. It is hard to think about being nice to someone who hates us. They probably won't appreciate it and may even be angry in return, but it is still the right thing to do. Have you ever pointed out that you were given too much change at a store and the clerk was angry with you? Well, most likely they are embarrassed that we pointed out their mistake, but it was still the right thing to do. If we take the extra money or allow the donkey to continue to wander or be trapped, then the sin is ours.

Lord, thank you for loving us even when we are unlovable. Help us to do the right thing, even if it is not appreciated. Amen.

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Ephesians 4:32 - Kindness

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Last night in our study of the fruit of the Spirit, we discussed kindness. I had an ah-ha moment when I realized kindness is active. Being a sweet, gentle person does not mean you are being kind. If we live in our bubble and keep our focus internalized, even if we are not hurting anyone, we are not being kind. Kindness requires us to get outside of our bubble and go above and beyond. It requires us to act on opportunities to serve others in small and large ways.

Lord, thank you for your kindness to us. Please help us to share that kindness with others in tangible ways. Amen.