Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. Proverbs 11:17
“A man was going down from
Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his
clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same
road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place
and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw
him, he took pity on him. He went to him
and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his
own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took
out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and
when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the
man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on
him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke
10:30-37
I think we all like to think of
ourselves as being kind. I certainly
do. But biblically speaking, being kind,
as we talked about yesterday, implies that we are actively committing acts of
kindness, not simply refraining from being unkind. All too often though, we withhold kindness.
There are numerous possible reasons
for this. Speaking for myself, I
sometimes don’t engage because I am simply preoccupied. I’m too engrossed in my inner world that I
ignore the opportunity right in front of me.
Other times, I feel like I’m too busy and to stop and show some kindness
would throw me off my schedule. Still
other times, I just don’t want to get involved.
I feel like I might get sucked into something that will require more of
me than I frankly want to give. It’s
hard to admit that publicly, but I know I’m not the only one who does
this. How about you? What keeps you from
engaging in kind acts?
The reality is that kindness has a
cost. My above reservations about
engaging in kindness are real. I do have
to lift my focus off myself and onto another to show authentic kindness. It will sometimes wreck my schedule or to-do
list. And sometimes, it will indeed
require me to give more of myself than I feel ready to give. Whatever your reservations are, I bet they
represent a real cost to you. Here’s a
hard-hitting question – if it doesn’t cost you anything, is it really
kindness?
The kindness that the Bible talks
about God’s people practicing is costly; it’s more than being polite or
courteous. It puts us out. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It might even feel risky sometimes. It’s the same kindness that God has extended
to us. The sun’s warmth is offered even
to those who take it for granted. The
grace of God is offered to people who would spit on it if they could. God’s Son was offered for all of us who every
day fall short of being properly thankful for such an amazing gift.
So yes, to be kind is to be a
little reckless. But as we said
yesterday, it’s powerful. It can and
does change lives. God’s kindness does
just that every day. And you and I get
to be part of it – if we dare. We’ll
talk more about that tomorrow.
Prayer: Lord, help us
to be more than polite and courteous; help us to commit the sort of kindness
that you use to change lives. Amen
Prayer Focus: Pray
for your church today to be used by God to accomplish miraculous things!
Song: Cory Asbury –
Reckless Love (non-believer reaction)
This video is a little longer than usual, but it’s powerful. It was made by a YouTube Creator who reviews
music that he has never heard before live on camera. People asked him to review a live performance
of “Reckless Love.” His reaction is
moving. Enjoy!
