Tag: Kindness

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God Math – 10 to 1.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭33‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John is the only apostle/journalist to write about Jesus’s foot-washing experience. Jesus, knowing the Father had given him authority over everything, grabbed a towel and started washing feet? Wow, such a powerful moment!

Peter complained about how awkward, no… backwards, this was. Jesus then tells him about the master model, when the teacher sets the expectation of how things are done, you do it. Jesus teaches his learners one more illustration – it’s God Math. Jesus told them, “I am giving you a new commandment.” Can Jesus add or subtract anything from God’s commandments?

When Jesus points out the ONE, he’s boiling down, simplifying and communicating what God asks of us. The 10 commandments were the law. Jesus, earlier on, talked about getting down to 2 commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus even told them, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). Ten laws simplified into two. Now Jesus does it again, ten to two to one. “Love one another. As I have loved you” (John 13:34). Many of the New Testament letters to the churches continue to quote Jesus words – 1 John 3:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 6:2; 2 Peter 1:7.

Yet, the new isn’t a replacement of the old ten commands, or even the two commands (love God, love others). This new simple and easy to understand command doesn’t do away with the law or our obligations to God and each other. No, it’s new in terms of the best way to go about fulfilling the ten or the two – it’s new and improved, not new to substitute.

When we think of the best way to love others. When we think about how to resist judging others, thinking we are far better or superior in our faith. When we think about how much patience, kindness and mercy we will need to go the full measure of love towards someone. We should think about how God has done so to us, and in us.

God loved me so much that he forgives. God is extremely patient and merciful – time and time again. That’s exactly how we should love others! When I realize that I get frustrated when folks ignore my attempts to love them, keep failing my expectations or outright betray my love – my first thoughts could be. “Oh yeah, I’ve done that to God!” Yet, God still comes after me, forgives me. Loving others as God has loved me fulfills the law of Christ!

Prayer

Dad,
I can easily see how this works when I get frustrated or even judgey with others. I just need to remind myself of how I WAS or how I AM in my relationship with you. It’s easy to just admit, “I’m not perfect.” It’s much harder to remind myself that others aren’t either. If I can receive grace for myself, I should certainly extend it to others! Thank you for the simple way to help me love you and love others by just following your example.

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Kindness is the character of God.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.“
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I would guess that most of our culture truly believe that someone just made up the word kindness, separating it from the character of God! Words like kindness and love have been marketed, capitalized and promoted to buy and sell product as well as pass around the “good feels” of being nice to one another. But these words have their origin in God’s original design of how he created humans to be. We broke (and break) that relationship with God, with each other and with the earth itself.

The Hebrew word, “checed” used in this verse for “kindness” is far richer in meaning. It means favor or goodness being given and received in our interactions and expressions with and from God, as well as from and towards one another. It is much deeper than just being nice! It goes further and than just being “Minnesota nice” – which is a GOOD stereotype of people from Minnesota being reserved, polite, friendly, and non-confrontational, often used to describe their behavior of being helpful and friendly in public. It is a deep, consistent, commitment to treating others better than yourself. In the New Testament kindness (chréstotés) is powerful enough, Paul says, to lead us to repentance! Paul also lists it as a fruit of the Spirit, a benignity forged by listening to and following the Spirit’s leading instead of our selfish, fleshy ways! This isn’t just being nice, it’s behaviorally mirroring one of God’s attributes.
The NLT translation also uses the word loyalty, for the Hebrew word, “emeth,” which is a faithfulness embedded in truth. In the Old Testament this word “emeth,” or its root word, “aman” is a powerfully supportive, nourishing word, often used for speaking of a foster-mother or father.

This duo of displaying fostered-favorability means that in return we find grace from God and humankind, thus earning a stellar reputation. Proverbs, in instructing the young on how to build out their own lives, puts a premium on behaving like God. This both pleases God, but also has a pleasant ROI on character investment into others. As we know reputations are difficult to achieve and easily lost. Keeping a “fostered-favoring” towards others helps us display the fruits of the Spirit and reflect the image of our God! Every time we are faithful and show favor we behave towards others like God behaves towards us.

Prayer

Dad,
This powerful Proverb brings home the point that Jesus made in the New Testament. “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Your own faithfulness, your own favor of grace and mercy has been lavished out on me again and again. It is very humbling to see that happening in my life everyday! More than just building a godly life and having a godly reputation, it is amazing to me that I even have the capacity for good towards others. Because of your Spirit within me, I am daily challenged to see every person through your eyes of grace. Thank you for the opportunity to display the fruit of the Spirit in ordinary moments with people whom you love and to know that you are fiercely working and wooing them towards yourself. Amen.

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Sweets for the soul.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Sweets to the sweet,” Shakespeare writes in Hamlet, where Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude says this in Act 5, scene 1 of Hamlet at Ophelia’s funeral, spreading flowers on her grave.

Sweet words spoken to one another are far more effective and necessary IN someone’s life, rather than at the end of someone’s life. I say this at every funeral. There is a moment in most memorial services where someone eulogizes the loved one who has passed. The word eulogy is two words in greek, combined into one, “good word.” It is often translated in the New Testament as “blessing.” When parents brought their children to Jesus and the disciples wanted to stop them, feeling like it was bothering the Master; Jesus said “Do not block or barr” the children from coming to me. Then Jesus blessed them, he eulogized them – speaking good words over their lives.

This is not only the high standard of how we should treat one another, it is also a wonderful piece of proverbial wisdom. Because, when we speak kind or good words, it’s like we pass out candy to a toddler’s delight! Our words become tasty, and thus healthy to the soul. Honey is said to have incredible health benefits for our body. And here, among the wisdom sayings, it is listed as caricature for both soul and body.

When we speak kindness, we speak health! When we use kind words in our conversations, it’s like we are handing out free blessings as trick-or-treaters come to our door on hallow’s eve. When we greet those who serve us with kind words, we are like the sweet grandma that always has candy handy for her grandchildren. This proverb is a reminder, not only that this is how Jesus spoke to children and adults, representing the very nature and character of God. But also, what happens when we choose to speak sweetly, kindly to each other. So share a chocolate kiss in words to the next person you greet!

Prayer

Dad,
I am reminded of Paul’s words to the churches in Rome, that your kindness is intended to lead us to repentance! Thank you for pouring out the sweet, healing nature of your word. Thank your for mercifully, gently, patiently pouring out grace and speaking life over us and into us. Help us simply do the same for others, as you have done to us. Amen.

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Random acts of criticism.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There was an old children’s rhyme that was supposed to project a certain self resilience from harmful words that were carelessly slung around at recess. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me.” What started as an article in a British magazine in 1857, made its circuitous way around the globe. A very old Jewish book, The Book of Sirach, had it quite opposite and far more accurate, “The blow of a whip raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones.”

The speed of instant words, traveling further and faster than our emotions can filter or process means that we are constantly violating the Apostle James Biblical admonition and simultaneously destroying our own civility – “be slow to speak (or write) be quick to listen.” Our words now embarrassingly live a longer life than we intended. Are we really supposed to say or write everything we think? Spewing our crass, cutting, filterless words? It’s easy to blame social media or our incessant and quite disturbing hunger for what the wisdom writers call, “dainty morsels.” Those dainty morsels, laced with dung, are exactly what wisdom warns us NOT to desire, nor digest whether it’s spoken (or written).

The “cutting” this Proverbs speaks of is a stabbing, piercing wound, conjuring a very visual thrusting of a sword. It’s a physical attack of words! The old English saying is wrong! Physical sticks and stones that break bones do have certain post traumatic stresses associated with them. If you have ever been physically attacked you know this is true. But oddly, piercing words haunt longer, seem to trigger faster and leave a wound that never quite heals. Bones heal, but nasty synapses continue to swirl through our souls!

How can we regain civility or the kindness we desire to teach our children. Stop posting piercing, wounding words! Control yourself! And quite contrary to our appetite for potty-mouth and poopy content – quit reading trash towards you or about others! Just go cold turkey on the addiction to dainty morsels. The words of the wise bring healing. With our words we can be wound closers not wound causers! We can suture not strike. Let’s shut down the cheap, cowardly crassness and move forward towards civility.

Prayer

Dad,
What drives us to WANT to hear, want to read such negative, unpleasant, unprofitable words against us or others? What exactly is the disordered desire that draws our hearts towards pain and such anger? It’s awful! It reminded me of Isaiah’s warning in 5:20, the complete reversal of taste, where bitter starts tasting sweet and sweet tastes bitter! Oh, help us God! Save us from ourselves and our foolishness.