The Kindness of Kindness

September 14

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing.

Proverbs 28:27

Jonathan and Gloria’s fiftieth wedding anniversary was fast approaching, but

they hadn’t made plans for a celebration because they couldn’t afford much

more than cards for each other. Deciding finances were just too tight, they

agreed that they would settle for cards. After fifty years together, they didn’t

really need anything else.

Friends in the community found out and set about organizing a secret

fund to rectify the situation. In just two weeks, they raised enough to pay for

reservations for a weekend at Salt Fork Lodge.

The Carringtons would be able to enjoy some much needed time alone,

away from the farm and daily chores. People had taken to the idea with great

enthusiasm! The love within the community was apparent. The fund had grown

so quickly that there was several hundred dollars left over after the reservations

were paid for. The remainder was allotted for dining out, dancing, and a couple

of shows. There would even be enough left over for each to buy a present for

the other!

The day the surprise was unveiled almost the entire community showed

up. They presented their gift to the Carringtons after church the Sunday before

their anniversary. Jonathan’s best man was given the privilege of presenting

them a check for six hundred eighty-seven dollars, a room confirmation num-

ber, and a gas card to cover the fuel for their trip.

Speechless, the Carringtons wiped tears from their eyes as they surveyed

the smiles on the faces of those in attendance.

h

Kindness is an act of love and obedience. When we give unselfishly to those in

need, we fulfill God’s purpose, and it pleases Him. By giving of ourselves we do

God’s work, we become His hands and feet.

We should always be mindful of those who are less fortunate.

Giving helps us remain unselfish, and it focuses our faith and trust where

it should be: on God.

This is one of God’s promises: we will never be in need if we provide for

those who are. He asks and then leaves the kindness up to us.

Prayer

“May You find in me a willingness to always give of

myself, whether it be time or money. Help me be

selfless for Your purpose. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 With Confidence?

September 13

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.

Hebrews 4:16

Jennifer had heard it all before. “God answers prayer.” Well, it never happened

for her! She was listening while her best friend Rachel asked God for a specific

answer to her prayer. A hurricane had blown the roof off her house, and she

was asking God to send someone who would not take advantage of her. She

had insurance, but so many homes had been affected that the reputable con-

tractors were busy. In the past, fly-by-night contractors had descended on the

areas hardest hit. They had given people low bids to entice them to sign on the

dotted line; and then they’d taken their cash and never returned.

As Rachel ended her prayer, she saw the scorn in Jen’s eyes. “Before you

start doubting, watch and see how God answers my prayer.”

“I’m sorry. I just don’t have the confidence that He really cares!” Rachel

said skeptically. “I’ve never seen Him answer any of my prayers!” she blurted,

which sounded more like hope-filled defiance.

That evening, a contractor from Ohio knocked on Rachel’s door asking if

she had found someone to facilitate repairs. He provided written testimonies

from people he had done work for following prior storms and explained that

this was his way of serving God. He would drive from Ohio after each storm,

spend time working for half his normal rate, repairing as many homes as he

could, and then return home.

h

God answers every prayer whether we see the answer or not. The only dif-

ference between Rachel and Jennifer was experiential faith. Rachel had seen

God’s answers; Jennifer had not. Perhaps because God had chosen to answer in

a way she had not expected, possibly the answer wasn’t one she wanted.

Scripture says God’s grace is for each of us; it does not respect who we

are or what we’ve done. But it does favor those who approach the throne with

confidence. Witnessing God’s response develops our faith. That faith causes us

to expect an answer. The more we develop that faith, the easier it is to see how

God answers prayer.

Prayer

“Help me see how You respond to my prayers, God. Give

me the confidence to trust You. I want to know that

You are working in my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Afflicted

September 12

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Psalm 119:71

Rolf had contracted Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome from a blood

transfusion he’d received in the early eighties, before the CDC began testing

for the AIDS virus. He’d lived independently for quite a long time, but recent

increased severity in his symptoms had forced Rolf to give up the freedom he

cherished and move into a nursing facility. He was a straight-talking kinda guy,

used to saying what was on his mind; today he was saying he didn’t like this

confounded nursing home he was confined to! His caseworker, Kari, had taken

an instant liking to him.

During the intake, she’d asked Rolf how he’d contracted AIDS. He’d told

her he’d gotten the virus through a transfusion he received during a surgery

in 1982. Unaware the blood was contaminated, the virus had been discov-

ered through a blood test in 1997 when Rolf had had an extended bronchial

infection.

He told Kari he’d spent the first year angry at the world. Then someone

had given him a Bible, and he’d begun reading it. He confided to Kari that had

it not been for the AIDS virus, he might never have found Jesus Christ. Reach-

ing over to his nightstand, Rolf grabbed that very Bible and, looking directly

into Kari’s eyes, said, “I want you to have this. Read it and ask God to show you

what it means. I promise you He will.”

She did, and He had. Kari cried tears of joy and sorrow at Rolf ’s funeral,

thankful God had sent him to show her the way to Jesus.

h

Affliction can be devastating. But it can also be life changing. When we’ve

been brought to the end of our own strength, we must learn to rely on someone

greater than ourselves, as in Rolf ’s case, God.

In truth, we are all afflicted. Every one of us has a deadly disease that we

cannot cure ourselves: sin. And only God can take away this affliction and

that can only happen once we discover our need and ask for healing. Have you

asked God to heal your affliction?

Prayer

“Lord, set me free from the affliction of sin. Remove all vestiges

of it from my life by the blood of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.”

 That Day

September 11

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Psalm 89:14

“Have you seen what’s happening?” Mark asked Collette over the phone.

“Yes, we have the TV on, and I can see the smoke on the horizon. What’s

going on, Mark? Who would do something like this?” she asked as they watched

smoke billow from the Twin Towers. Mark from his office in Midtown, she

from Queens. Then came the news that the Pentagon had been hit. 

Anger mixed with fear brought the unbidden question: How many planes do they have?

There was so much confusion that day—citizens running away from the

chaos, first responders running into burning buildings.

Life changed that day as people looked on with a mixture of horror and

fascination.

And in the time it took for those acts of terrorism to unfold, a nation

resolved to pursue with determination those responsible.

In the ensuing years, there has been waning support; life has resumed;

many have forgotten the reality of that day. But the question of that day still

lingers: where were You that day, God?

h

On September 11, 2001, our innocence was forever soiled. That day when the

towers fell; that day when brave men and women gave their lives; that day

when children became orphans; that day when evil appeared to have won; that

day when we had an overwhelming need to know … where were You, God?

He was there, reaching down in love to comfort those who were suffering

in the planes and the towers, the Pentagon, and on Flight 93; He was there,

leading brave men and women into burning buildings while others were run-

ning for their lives; He was there, receiving each of His children who made that

journey into eternity; He was there, catching the tears of every man, woman,

and child overcome with fear and uncertainty.

We live in a world where everyone has free will; bad things happen to good

and bad people alike.

Where was God on that day? Where He was the day His Son died and has

always been—on His throne. And someday soon He will judge the nations. On

that day, justice will reign.

Prayer

“O Lord, may we never lose sight of You just because evil

has threatened our faith. We stand secure in the knowledge

that You are always here and that we are not alone. Amen.”

 Flatter or Favor? 

September 10

He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who

has a flattering tongue.

Proverbs 28:23

Carlos’s role in the corporation’s steady growth over the past two quarters had

earned him the lead on one of their largest projects. At the moment, he was

meeting with a team of advisors to determine what the company should do next

in preparation for launching the twenty-five-thousand-dollar ad campaign.

“Our target audience is twenty-two to forty-five-year-old females,” he

said, directing everyone’s attention to the built-in monitors in the conference

table. “Okay, sounds good.” “That sounds about right.” “Great!” “You’re the

man,” came responses from the ingratiating group.

“All right. Let’s move on,” said Carlos, believing the matter was settled.

“Hold on a minute,” interrupted Brendan. “I’m not sure we should limit

our ad to females. I believe we’d be missing a large portion of potential custom-

ers if we target them alone.”

Conversation immediately ceased as everyone waited for this ad exec wan-

nabe to get shut down.

But to their amazement, Carlos simply asked, “Okay, what do you have in mind?”

“Well,” he pressed, “we’re coming into the Christmas season. I believe that if we

include our target audience’s counterpart, twenty-two to forty-five-year-old males,

we can increase sales by targeting their purchases for their spouses and girlfriends.”

“I like it,” he said. “Let’s figure out how to incorporate them into this mar-

keting strategy. Good work, Bishop.”

h

Carlos hadn’t gotten where he was by figuring it out all on his own. Realizing

he didn’t have all the answers, he was open to criticism. We would do well to

follow his lead. By refusing to listen to or give useful criticism, we are cutting

ourselves and others off from useful correction. We also must not accept every-

thing presented to us as accurate or just. We must assess each situation and

speak up where necessary.

If we approach each situation with sensitivity, we will discover a greater

capacity for understanding in which we can both hear and be the voice of

reason by departing from a closed-minded mentality. Do we want to flatter or

gain favor?

Prayer

“Lord, help me recognize when I need to listen to criticism

or confront certain issues in love. Give me the wisdom

I need to do what’s right. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 A Language of Faith

September 9

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your

grandmother Lois.

2Timothy 1:5

Grandma Doris never liked hearing the words shut up. She said they hurt

her ears and her heart. So when Grandma Doris was around, you said, “hush”

or “be quiet.” If she heard anything else, you were in for a major scolding!

Grandma Doris emigrated from England in 1904 at the tender age of

seven. She brought with her all her worldly possessions and an already deep

faith in Jesus Christ. She married Grandpa Earnest, a preacher, and together

they passed on the inherent traits of a pioneer: press ahead in kindness and

never look back in regret. The legacy passed on by Grandma Doris was given

to her by her father and his father before him. In the lineage of both Grandma

Doris and Grandpa Earnest there is a history of profound faith in Jesus Christ.

For at least six generations before and the two since, there have been preachers

and lay leaders serving God, great men and women of faith.

Grandma Doris’s death left a hole in people’s hearts but not their faith.

That heritage lives on and is testament to what was important to Grandma

Doris: loving Jesus and using words to edify and not impair the lives of those

we meet.

h

It seems like such a simple thing, teaching children the value of using kinder

language rather than harmful words. But it’s in the simple things that we dis-

cover our true character.

How we treat others, such as which words we use, speaks volumes of who

we are and what we believe. Harsh language says we are not concerned about

how we gain the results we are seeking.

Paul wrote to Timothy in regard to testifying with power. He said to tes-

tify in love and self-discipline, letting God do the convicting.

Too many times our society uses words with shock value to make a point.

Paul tells us that kind words, full of grace, will accomplish the task. We are to

testify of Jesus’ love and do it in a language of faith passed on from generation

to generation.

Prayer

“Lead me to speak kindly in faith, Lord. May I always testify

to Your love with words of grace. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 No Compromise

September 8

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and

godliness.

2 Peter 1:3

There were two packages sitting on the porch when Trent and Sheila arrived

home. One contained a portable DVD player, the other an in-house DVD

player. “I thought we were only supposed to get the portable player. Maybe they

sent two by accident, and they aren’t aware of their mistake,” Trent reasoned.

“I don’t know, but we’d better find out,” Sheila responded.

Trent located the customer service number for the company, and dialed.

“These automated services drive me nuts!” he said, putting it on speakerphone

so he could make use of his time while waiting for them to respond. To his sur-

prise, a customer service representative responded almost immediately. Trent

explained to the rep that he believed they had received an extra item by mistake.

“We got the portable DVD player we were supposed to get, but we received

an in-house DVD player as well. Can you tell me what happened?” he asked.

The CSR asked Trent to wait a moment while she checked. Coming back

on the line, she said, “We sent the second DVD player as a token of our appre-

ciation because you waited for over ten weeks for your initial order due to

multiple back orders.”

Trent said, “So you’re saying we get to keep them both?”

“Yes, sir!” the CSR said cheerfully. “Thanks for shopping with us.”

h

It would have been easy to keep the second item, no questions asked, and no

one the wiser. But integrity doesn’t check itself at the door on occasion.

To have virtue is to have moral and ethical standards that don’t yield or

compromise. They are standards grounded in righteousness and sustained

through spiritual discipline.

Peter urged those of precious faith to be diligent in seeking good moral

character, as it would serve them well in fending off corruption and tempta-

tion. Too many times we enjoy flirting with trouble only to have it shackle us.

A match is more easily extinguished than a bonfire. Virtue is a deterrent to

spiritual slippage.

Prayer

“It’s so easy to give in to small temptations, Lord. Stir in me

a desire to remain pure before You. Create in me a hunger for

the godliness You desire in my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”