Kindness
1. The Law Of Kindness
As I prayed for the Lord to guide me for our new devotionals, my mind kept going back to the same verse about "the law of kindness". King Lemuel asks, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10) For several verses the author describes how hard and faithful she works to take care of her family. Then we come to verse 26 and see her heart and soul. "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." God used this verse to speak to me when my children were young. I worked hard to watch over them, fix their meals, and clean up after them because that was the life I chose and I loved my family dearly. One day God showed me that being a homemaker and mother was more than what I did, it was who I was and I wanted to be a blessing to my family. I prayed that God would give me wisdom to train up my children in the way they should go with His Word as my guide. And I tried to make sure the "law of kindness" was always on my tongue. Even when I had to discipline them and teach them right from wrong. I knew the children would not remember how hard I worked to clean up after them, but maybe they would remember the love and kindness I tried to show them. It is great to be wise. But we need to couple it with the "law of kindness."
2. God's Merciful Kindness Endures Forever
There are several verses in the Bible that speak of the merciful kindness of our Lord. The three that I am sharing today also have something else in common. They all speak of how God's kindness will always endure towards His children. We can take this as an inspiration to always show kindness. It seems as though people who grow old become better, or they become bitter. We should not outgrow being kind. Even in our old age, let's continue to show kindness.
"For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalm 117:2)
"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10)
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7)
3. Be Kind To Your Neighbor
Michael was mowing the church yard Saturday and the mower slid down into the ditch causing the tire to come loose from the wheel. As he was trying to figure out what he could do to get the mower out of the ditch, the neighbors across the street from the church came out to see if they could help. The man used his truck to pull the mower out of the ditch, and hooked up his trailer to move it to the storage building. Since the mower would not budge with the flat wheel, he took off the tire, fixed it, and replaced it onto the mower so that Michael was able to finish mowing. I kept thanking God for sending a kind person along to help out. He had the wisdom to do what was needed, and he was kind enough to give us almost an hour of his time.
Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan after a man stood and asked Him, "And who is my neighbour?" (Luke 10:29) It is about a man who fell among thieves and was wounded and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both passed him by, but a Samaritan stopped and helped the man. Jesus then asked, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." (Luke 10:36-37) Our message today is to be kind and show mercy to others.
4. Least Expected Kindness Is Most Appreciated
Sometimes we look for kindness from someone we know and are greatly disappointed, but when we receive kindness that was least expected, we appreciate it the most. When Michael had the situation with the lawn mower at church and we did not know anything that we could do, we were so grateful when the neighbors came to our rescue. We did not expect them to give us so much of their time and energy, and their kindness was greatly appreciated. My Biblical example is Ruth, the Moabite. Elimelech and Naomi went from Bethlehemjudah to Moab during a time of famine. Their sons, Mahlon and Chilion married wives of the Moabites. Elimelech and the two sons died and Naomi decided to go back home. "And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept." (Ruth 1:8-9) Orpah turned and went back home. But we see unexpected kindness from Ruth. "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:" (Ruth 1:16) Naomi did not look for kindness from Ruth, neither did she expect any from her people.
"19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest." (Naomi 1:19-22)
Ruth worked hard gleaning in the fields of Boaz and he noticed the kindness she showed to her mother-in-law. He took her to be his wife and they had a son, named Obed, who became the grandfather of David, the great king of Israel.
"14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David." (Ruth 4:14-17)
5. Take Time To Be Kind
Our church used to give away large hanging baskets for Mother's Day. They were awarded to the youngest mother, the oldest mother, and to the mother with the most children present with her. I remember one year in particular that I won the basket for having the most children with me. As I looked over to the beautiful basket I saw a faithful church member sitting near the front of the church. I think her family was spread down two pews, with children and their spouses, and several grandchildren, all there to celebrate that special day with her. She had many more guests than the five little ones sitting with me, so I decided to give her my flower. After church I told her that I wanted her to have the hanging basket. She told me that she sat there admiring the beautiful flower, but she knew that she would not win it. She was far from being the youngest, and not close to the oldest, and she didn't have the most children. She was so appreciative that I gave her the basket. I had felt like God was leading me to give her the prized flower, but I had no idea how much it would mean to her. She was thrilled to receive this unexpected gift of kindness. Kindness is not determined by our wealth. The smallest gifts of kindness can yield the biggest blessings. It was such a blessing to me, when she told me how much she appreciated the basket. We live in such a fast paced society, but we need to take time to be kind. Hold the door for someone. Smile. Put down your phone and talk to those sitting with you. Listen to your children, and your parents. A little love and kindness goes a long way. "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;" (Romans 12:10)
6. Kind Words
I recently received a very encouraging email. I try to write these devotionals to encourage the readers, but each time someone writes back to me with kind words it is so special to me. Today I want to say, "Thank you" to all the ones who take time to read these devotions. I appreciate the time you take to read these simple thoughts and hope that you will pass them along to encourage others along the way. Just a few kind words can help our family and friends, and even strangers that we meet in our daily duties. Today would be a great day to share a kind word with someone, in person, on the phone, or across the internet. Let's practice kindness in our words!
"A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!" (Proverbs 15:23)
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24)
7. Showing Kindness To God's Servants
We have several friends who are preachers. At least half a dozen young men were called to preach that were in our youth group at church forty years ago. And we have kept our friendships with many of them through the years. I have a great respect for those who give of themselves to preach God's Word. My grandfather Moyer P. Beasley was a preacher, and it was listening to him preach on Lazarus and the rich man that the Holy Spirit convicted me and Jesus saved me. Today I want to encourage you to show kindness to the preachers of God's Word and to their families. Our scripture is found in II Kings 4:8-10. It is the story of a couple that showed kindness to the great Prophet Elisha. Let us follow their example and give kindness to those who are the servants of God.
"8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither."
8. Showing Kindness Through Prayers
I have a very special and dear prayer request today. My daughter is almost 38 weeks into her pregnancy and she is having complications which cause her great pain. Her doctors tell her that they can't do anything for her until she reaches 39 weeks. She has been hurting since she fell almost two months ago. Please pray for her and the baby. I am doing all I can to help her but I can't ease her pain. I know that God hears and answers our prayers and I would consider it a great kindness to all who will ask the Lord to help her.
"And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." (Acts 10:4)
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;" (Romans 1:9)
"Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;" (Romans 15:30)
"Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;" (Ephesians 1:16)
"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;" (I Thessalonians 1:2)
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;" (I Timothy 2:1)
"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;" (II Timothy 1:3)
"I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers," (Philemon 1:4)
9. Showing Kindness In Difficult Situations
There was a little girl who was taken captive from her homeland of Israel to the land of Syria during war. She became maid to the captain of the army that had captured her. That is how our story opens...
"1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." (II Kings 5:1-3)
I am not sure that I would not think, "That's what he gets for taking me away from my home and country." But this little maid showed him kindness. She told her mistress about the Prophet Elisha. Naaman goes to Elisha and God heals him in a very interesting way. (If you don't know the story you may want to continue reading the fifth chapter of II Kings.) It would be hard to show kindness in such a difficult situation as this young girl was in. But even our enemies need to know the Lord. Let's see what Jesus had to say about such situations.
"43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" (Matthew 5:43-46)
10. Brotherly Kindness
Do you want to be a fruitful Christian? Peter gives us steps to follow in his second letter.
"5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:5-8)
That's a great list for things we need to work on in our Christian walk. Notice in verse 7 that we are to add brotherly kindness, and to our brotherly kindness we are to add charity, which is giving love. But some may ask, "What if our brothers are not kind to us?" For that question I want to look at the greatest example of brotherly kindness in the Old Testament. Joseph's brothers hated him and sold him into slavery. There he spent many years in prison after someone lied about him. God was with Joseph and lifted him up out of prison and into a ruler in Egypt. When Joseph's brothers came to him looking for food he fed them and housed them and took care of them. After their father died his brothers thought Joseph would treat them as they had treated him, but Joseph was kind to them. Our lesson today teaches us to show brotherly kindness, to our family brothers and our Christian brothers. And this goes for sisters, too.
"15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." (Genesis 50:15-21)
11. Be Kind To Yourself
Yesterday while I was washing dishes I remembered something that happened when I was probably about twelve years old. My neighbor had come to the house to see if I could go out and play, but Mom had told me that I had to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. My "friend" told me that if I would go to her house and help her clean her kitchen, "then" she would help me clean our kitchen. You can probably guess how that situation turned out. I helped her for an hour or two and when we were done she said she didn't have time to help me. So, I got in trouble for not getting my own work done. I learned a few good life lessons that day: about listening to my parents, doing my own work first, and not trusting everything others told me. As we continue in our talks about kindness I think it is important that we remember to be kind to ourselves. Sometimes our needs need to have priority over helping others. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can be there to take care of those depending on us. This is hard for those who are primary care givers for parents, or children, or spouses. There were times this summer when I was keeping my grandchildren and I wanted to take them to the park or to the zoo, but I knew that it was too hot for me to be outside with my asthma. I had to tell them that we had to find things to do inside the house. The verse that comes to my mind is Song of Solomon 1:6. "Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." I believe that this young woman could have been talking about not keeping her own vineyard, but just as she began, "Look not upon me..." she also may have been speaking of her own appearance. She was darkened by working in the sun and not able to take care of herself. (This sounds like a true Cinderella story.) This did not impair his love for her, as we see all through the book. "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." (Song of Solomon 2:4) And I believe the end of the book shows that he rescued her from her hard labors in the vineyards of others, and was able to take care of her own vineyard and also partake of the thousand vineyards of King Solomon. We are to be kind to others, but there are also times when we need to be kind to ourselves.
"12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices." (Song of Solomon 8:12-14)
12. Be Kind To Children
My devotions are a little late today because last night when I would normally be working on them a little Sleeping Beauty climbed up beside me and fell asleep with her head in my lap and I didn't want to wake her. I guess it was earlier than she usually went to sleep because at 4:30 am she climbed out of bed and found me in the dark and said, "I'm scared." I gave her a drink of water and held her hand a little while and she eventually went back to sleep. There have been times, even in my adult life, that I woke up scared from bad dreams so I know that it must be hard on little ones to go to sleep in one place and wake up, not knowing exactly where they are. Our "Kindness" thought today is, "Be Kind To Children". Sometimes we expect so much from our children and we don't think about all the new challenges they face each day. I know that we have to teach them right from wrong, but we are also their providers and protectors and we need to bring them up in love and kindness. If they can't find love and kindness at home, where will they find it? When people brought their children to Jesus, the disciples tried to turn them away, but Jesus took them in His arms and blessed them. Be kind to the children.
"13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them." (Mark 10:13-16)
13. A Legacy Of Kindness
I don't have a legacy of great possessions to leave behind, but I hope that I can leave a legacy that will last even longer than riches would. I pray that as a mother and grandmother I can leave behind a legacy of faith. Young Timothy knew such a legacy in his grandmother and mother, and it was also noticed by others, as it was mentioned by the Apostle Paul. "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." (II Timothy 1:5) I want my children and grandchildren to know that I was a faithful Christian. I also want them to remember me as being a kind and giving individual. The book of Acts gives us the example of Dorcas. She was known for her kindness to others. I pray that I can leave such a legacy of Christian kindness so that others will believe in the Lord because of the life I have lived.
"36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord." (Acts 9:36-42)
14. Kindness In Our Churches
I hope that we show kindness better than some of the New Testament churches. The Apostle Paul rebuked the church at Corinth for several things in his first letter to them. We find in his opening chapter that they had divisions over which preacher they liked better. In chapter 6 we see that they were taking each other to court in judgement. When we come to chapter 11 Paul even condemns them for their rude behavior towards one another during the Lord's supper. "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it... For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." (I Corinthians 11:17-18 & 21-22) And these are just the beginning of the divisions they had in their church. It is no wonder why the entire thirteenth chapter is devoted to charity, or love that is giving. I began this writing to share verse 4 which tells us that charity is kind, but I think it would help us to look at the chapter more deeply. When we have love for one another, we will show kindness.
"1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (I Corinthians 13)
15. Compassion
Before writing the last "Kindness" devotional I want to take a moment to say, "Thank you for all the prayers for my daughter." Felicity was born in the wee morning hours Friday morning. She is doing well and my daughter is doing much better, glad to be able to hold her little baby, and glad that she is able to walk again without pain. I really appreciate all the prayers!
There are a few verses in the little book of Jude that I think will be the perfect way to close out our "Kindness" devotionals. "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference:" (Jude 21 and 22) We can really make a difference in the lives of others when we have compassion. Michael has been teaching school 42 years and he said that he has learned as a teacher that “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” (possibly Theodore Roosevelt) I think it goes well beyond teaching and reaches into all aspects of life. As Christians, we need to have compassion on others. Compassion towards other Christians, as well as towards those who need Christ. Where would we be if Christ had not had compassion on us?
16. Passing Kindness Along
I said that yesterday was my last devotional on "Kindness", but I forgot to mention David and Jonathan. I had jotted down a few ideas on the back of some notes, and realized that I could talk a little more about being kind to others. After David killed the giant Philistine with a sling and a stone, he and Jonathan, the son of King Saul became great friends. "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle." (I Samuel 18:3-4) King Saul became very angry with the friendship between his son and David, because he wanted Jonathan to be king and not David. It was customary in those days that the king's son follow his father to become king. When another person did rise up and become the next king, he often killed all of the king's family so that they could not rise up and take his place. Jonathan knew that David was meant to be the next king so he made David promise not to kill him or his family.
"14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:
15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.
17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul." (I Samuel 20:14-17)
King Saul and Jonathan were both killed in battle and God did promote David to become King. David kept his promise. In the ninth chapter of II Samuel we have the beautiful story of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan. David passed along kindness to him because of the kindness he had been shown by Jonathan. Let us pass along kindness.
"1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.
5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.
12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet." (II Samuel 9)
17. Show Kindness - Because It's The Right Thing To Do
I do not use these devotionals as a political platform, but our country would be in much better shape if people still believed in kindness. That would be a good beginning in taking care of many of our problems. Let's look at the kindness of some barbarous people to a group of prisoners. When Paul was a prisoner on a ship going to Rome, there was a very bad storm and the ship was broken up near an island called Melita.
"42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land." (Acts 27:42-44)
"1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.
2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold." (Acts 28:1-2)
These people came out in the cold and rain to build a fire for the strangers in a shipwreck. They showed great kindness, and God allowed Paul to return the kindness to their little island.
"3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary." (Acts 28:3-10)
18. Pay It Forward
Sometimes I hear stories about people who have experienced an act of kindness, and instead of paying back the person who was kind to them, they "pay it forward" by being kind to someone else. It is so nice to hear these stories of kindness in action. As I thought about this I remembered a verse in Revelation that states, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." (Revelation 14:13) We may not feel rewarded for our kindness here on earth, but God has promised that our works follow, and I believe that we will be rewarded in heaven. I also thought that this is like building on the foundation of Jesus Christ, and adding to the foundation along the way with every act of kindness and service for the Lord. In this way I feel like we are paying it forward to eternity. So, even if you don't think anyone sees your act of kindness, remember that God sees all and keep on paying it forward.
"12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (I Corinthians 3:12-15)
