Extend Kindness

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – December 18, 2016

Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.   2 Samuel 9:7

Kindness is a killer application for the Christian. It is killer in the good sense of the word. Kindness kills fear and replaces it with hope. It kills insecurity and replaces it with security; it kills rejection and replaces it with acceptance; it kills pride and replaces it with humility. Kindness kills the bad, so the good can have room to grow. Like Roundup™ on unwanted weeds, kindness cuts to the root of sin and infects it with grace and love. As a follower of Jesus, what compels you the most is the gargantuan kindness He has bestowed upon you.

Though you were undeserving, God’s kindness captured you. He captured your mind and, in the process, flooded it with kind thoughts toward others, even your adversaries. He captured your mouth and filled it with kind words of affirmation and encouragement, extending them to those thirsting for verbal kindness. He captured your behavior, converted it with other-centeredness, so now you are guilty of random acts of kindness. Everything about you has the potential to exude kindness, because God is, and has been, kind to you. You can count on the kindness of God leading you and others to repentance. Kill others with kindness, and watch God bring them to life.

Gratitude to God for His kindness is a sterling reason to extend kindness to others. However, gratitude also results from our horizontal relationships. You feel compelled to be kind to a family member of a friend because of the kindness they extended to your child or spouse. Kindness and gratitude are first cousins. When you are grateful, you search for people and ways to extend kindness. It may be a graduation gift, your presence at a wedding, or a hand-written “thank you” note. You want to support those who support you and those you love. Kindness has this powerful effect on people to care. It is the gift that keeps on giving. It seems you cannot pay forward enough with kindness. No one has ever complained of receiving too much kindness. You cannot overdose anyone on kindness. On the contrary, it is healing and wholesome.

Kindness is a picture of Christ. It is not only godly, it is God-like. Therefore, defuse the explosives of harsh words and replace them with kind ones. Otherwise, you can say the right words in an unkind way and defeat your purpose of being open and honest. People cannot hear what you say if the manner in which you communicate is unkind. A kind delivery of hard words has a much higher probability of acceptance. Kindness comes from a grateful and prayerful heart that is focused on Christ. You cannot help but be kind when you are captured by divine kindness. Extend the quality of kindness that has been extended to you.

For Christ sake, we can be kind to one another. The Bible teaches, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your kindness that leads me to repentance and trust in You.

---

Application

Who needs a kind word or a kind deed in Jesus’ name today?

---

Related Reading

Today’s reading is taken from Boyd’s most popular book: Seeking Daily the Heart of God, a 365 day devotional.

---

Post/Tweet today

Kindness comes from a grateful and prayerful heart that is focused on Christ. #wisdomhunters #joyfulstrength

---

Worship Resource

4 minute video- I Am They: Make A Way Check out Boyd’s newest devotional book Two Minutes in the Bible Through Psalms. Order now! If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision. Learn how to help. Our free Apple app      Our free Android app

---