“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32)
In a letter to the Galatians Paul notes kindness as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23). To strenghten his point Paul could have cited a particular inspiring example from the life of King David.
When David was forced to run into exile, pursued by King Saul, one of Saul’s son, Jonathan was kind to him. Where Jonathan would have seen David as a rival, at the risk of his life, he “made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies” (I Samuel 20:16). Unfortunately Jonathan would perish during Saul’s last war. When the the throne eventually passed on to David, one of his first act was to be kind to one particular member of Saul’s household. “David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ( 2 Samuel 9:1).
A crippled son of Jonathan was ushered before him. Immediately David promised, “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” ( vv 7). And so it were!
Like David, kindness is that fruit of the gift of the Holy spirit, we must all share. Kindness differentiates children of God from all the mean haters and lovers of this world. It is a sign of our gratefulness for all the love God has shown us.
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, as you are kind towards me today I pray to share that kindness in return as a sign of gratefulness, this I pray in Jesus’s name!
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02/05/2024 - 03/05/2024 All day“That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)
We all crave to be blessed in life. But was there a believer who was so blessed beyond any circumstances without experiencing some sort of discomfort, in one way or another! A person may apparently be blessed in every single way yet have one troubling matter that constantly drives him down to his knees.
The one mightily blessed with riches may have a family situation that leaves him ever on edge. Someone who seems to be at the height of his profession may be living with an ailment that keeps him ever on tentacles. The one blessed with abundant health might from time to time be dealing with financial woes.
Why do such troubling situations plague even believers? One explanation could be found in the Apostle Paul’s life. Called into ministry and endowed with many gifts, including amazing revelations from above, yet he had a matter that constantly drove him on his knees. “Therefore in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor 12: 7).
Paul would often cry out to God to free him of this particularly troubling matter. But the Lord came back with, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).
The comfort of this lesson is that God is completely aware of whatever might be ever troubling us. Moreover, it could be purposely there, that we constantly place our faith in Him, other than relying on our strength and resources, especially as He blesses us in other uplifting ways.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that whatever matter is constantly troubling me, I know it is for a purpose and you are in total control, to bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
