Tag: kindness

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Begin With Thanksgiving

thank you heart text

There are well documented studies that show the benefits of giving thanks. With the national holiday coming up, it’s good to talk about the need for us to give thanksgiving in our lives all the time. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says to give thanksgiving in all circumstances. There is a reason for that, and it’s not just to blindly give praise to God. The benefits are immeasurable, both for the person giving thanks and for those receiving it.

Some of the benefits are improved mental health, improved physical health, enhanced relationships, and personal growth. People who are grateful and give thanks every day typically have reduced stress and anxiety, better sleep, better immune systems, deeper connection, enhanced creativity, and so on. There is no mistaking that gratitude can literally alter the course and outcome of your life.

Psalm 100 is a psalm of thanksgiving. It begins, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” (vs. 1). We should “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (vs. 4-5). God is good and when we give praise it changes the way we interact with each other, thereby changing the outcome of those interactions. We tend to give more of our time and emotions when we are thankful. And people notice it. We should always use our gratitude to show the kindness of the Lord!

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Kindness Benefits Yourself

be kind lettering on white surface

Proverbs 11:17 says, “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.” This is true on many different levels. Kindness always prevails. It doesn’t mean that those who are kind will be free from trouble. In fact, we know that kind people are often martyred for the sake of Christ. But being kind benefits the person who exhibits kind behavior. People who are kind have more friends because they are warm and inviting. Cruel people are lonely because nobody wants to be near them.

The scriptures don’t stop with kindness. We are told to go beyond kindness and love our enemies. Jesus himself said that it is of no benefit to love those who love us back. He continued, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

The scriptures have a lot to say about loving your enemies. This is not easy, nor should it be. Love is a discipline. But when we exercise love and mercy, people see the goodness of Christ living in us. And the word of God becomes more attractive to people who are in need of salvation.

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Overcoming Evil With Good

do good

Yesterday Thom Rainer published a blog titled Six Reasons Your Pastor Is About to Quit. As a preacher, the title caught my attention. Thom Rainer has been gathering statistics and has consulted with churches for decades and is one of the most respected statisticians on church trends. In the article, Thom says, “The vast majority of pastors with whom our team communicates are saying they are considering quitting their churches. It’s a trend I have not seen in my lifetime.” This ought to make us pay close attention. This is happening right now, at unprecedented rates.

As I read the reasons why these ministers are considering quitting, it became abundantly clear that their churches are incredibly on edge, worried, and angry. The assumption from church members is that their preachers are sitting around enjoying a vacation while the rest of the country suffers. Additionally, churches are dividing over what rules to follow to keep members physically safe. Ironically, while they divide over how to keep physically safe, there is a rapid spiritual decline. Christians are shouting, pointing fingers, and acting ugly. This is in stark contrast of what the Bible clearly teaches.

Romans 12 is one of my favorite chapters in the New Testament. I spent two years preaching themes from Romans 12. Paul is blunt and uses clear directives: “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9 ESV). Compare that to the way many Christians are attacking one another. Romans 12 is pregnant with references to how we should position ourselves towards one another: “Outdo one another in showing honor, contribute to the needs of the saints, live in harmony with one another, never be wise in your own sight, do what is honorable in the sight of others, live peaceably with all, never avenge yourselves” (Romans 12:13-19).

Now is the best time for Christians to turn this around. We can either complain about the evil and problems, or we can do something about it. For Paul, there is no question what he is asking of the Roman church: “Do not be overcome evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

Photo by Nicolas Gras on Unsplash

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The Apostles’ Mission

Man seeking kindness

When Jesus sent out the Twelve, he “gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke 9:1, 2 ESV). This was no small feat for a group of fishermen, tax collectors, and otherwise ordinary people. Jesus could have sent them out to do just about anything, but he specifically sent them to heal diseases, cast out demons, and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Their mission to do this was Jesus’ mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18, 19). Jesus’ charge to his disciples did not arrive out of a vacuum. Rather, it was rooted in his own mission.

Like Jesus himself, he called his disciples to leave everything and rely completely upon God. They were commanded to not take anything extra with them. They were to rely on the goodwill of people. In doing so, they completely put their faith in God. God provides. God is the great healer. God calls his people to help other people, to feed, heal, and free others. This is why the crowds were always pressing in against Jesus. They were desperate for someone to heal them.

Jesus is no different today. There will always be oppression, hunger, and disease. And it’s up to us to care for one another. This is exactly in step with who Jesus is. His mission is our mission.

Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

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Showing Kindness to Others

kindness on Malta

When Paul and the other prisoners were shipwrecked on the island of Malta, the islanders showed unusual kindness to them. They built a fire, welcomed them, and entertained them. Luke says that “they also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed” (Acts 28:10 ESV).

A few things about this story are intriguing. After a horrifying ship wreck, the prisoners managed to make it to the island unharmed. There were guards, so the islanders had to have known that this big group of stranded people were prisoners. But they treated them with unusual kindness. And that kindness was reciprocated.

These were pagan people who first thought Paul was a god then later thought he was a god. Paul healed a man named Publius’ father, who lay sick. Then the rest of the people on the island who were sick came and were healed.

So often Christians have a misconception that unbelievers are evil, corrupt, immoral, and so on. But this is a good reminder that there are a lot of kind people out there and that, as Christians, we should treat them with kindness like we should with each other. God blessed the Christians, prisoners, and islanders for those days that they spent on the island. We need to remember that God is the same today. He blesses our conversations and relationships with everyone. We should do good to everyone.

Photo by Drew Farwell on Unsplash