Kindness Archives - Creation Beckons

Our Manners–Kindness and Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:30-32 Our Manners–Kindness and Forgiveness

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you” (ESV).

This is part five of a five-part series about the Christian lifestyle inspired by Dr. Davd Jeremiah’s book, Belief That Behaves. This part is entitled, Our Manners—Kindness and Forgiveness.

Sounds like a big job to put away all those negative things: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice. We are not just to put them away, we are to replace them with good characteristics or actions: kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness. I find it interesting that six nasty things can be replaced by three good things and then life will be incredibly better. Maybe that demonstrates that the traits we get from God are twice as powerful as those we get from satan. I know that my Savior, Jesus, defeated satan and humiliated him in front of his followers, so certainly his gifts are more powerful than the traits we get from satan.

Unfortunately those negative traits are often used against the ones we love the most, our family members. “Oh, he or she will understand.” Maybe he or she won’t understand and relationships can be broken or at least damaged for a time. Sometimes we think we need to use good manners with strangers but not with those we love. The word “love” implies that we will treat those we love with special care just because we love them, and that includes good manners.

Dr Jeremiah states in His book, Belief That Behaves, “Verse 32 (of Ephesians, chapter four) modifies the Golden Rule. It doesn’t say ‘Treat others as you would like them to treat you.’ It says, ‘Treat others as God has treated you.’” That’s a significant difference. The last part of that quote could be paraphrased as, “Forgive others as God has forgiven you.” God has not only forgiven our sins, He has forgotten them. He holds no grudges, and He expects us to do the same. If we are to live a Christian lifestyle, we need to forgive and to hold no grudges. That sounds like grace to me.

We all think of helping an older person across the street as kindness, but there are myriad ways we can show kindness every day. To do so, we need to do as the Lord ask us to do, think of others needs before our own. Often kindness given will result in kindness received, and at least in our immediate neighborhood, life will be more peaceful and enjoyable. It is not always easy to be forgiving, kind, and tenderhearted. Some people we encounter will be confrontive, rude, or even mean and hateful. That’s when we need to depend upon the help of the Holy Spirit to help us to respond to their attacks with kindness and forgiveness. This is when Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:39 come into play: “But I say to you. Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Jesus didn’t say it was easy; He just said that that is what we should do.

Thanks for reading this five-part series on the Christian lifetstyle. Please return tomorrow for a conclusion to this series.

Leave Some for Others

Leviticus 23:22 Leave Some for Others

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God” (NIV).

The Hebrew meaning of “gleaning” is the practice of collecting leftover crops from fields after they have been harvested. It is an agricultural term that can also refer to any activity that involves collecting individual items from different sources. In other words, “Get it all. Be sure nothing is missed or anything of even the smallest value is left where someone could get it.” Makes sense doesn’t it—except that it doesn’t make sense to God. God instructed His people to leave the bits of the harvest that were difficult to harvest. He instructed them not to go back over the fields once they have done the main harvesting work. They’ve got the whole field while others not as fortunate as they may have had little or nothing. In fact those less fortunate may have been living on the leavings from the owner’s fields. What is just the “leftovers” to the owner may have been the very food that a mother gathered to feed her young children. The poor and foreigners referred to in Leviticus 23:22 are the dispossessed, the ones who are just hanging on. Even though this is an agricultural example, it can just as well refer to a business owner who squeezes every possible penny out of his business rather than being certain that his workers are paid a good wage. So what does it mean to you and me, John Q. Public? How about taking the change from everyday purchases and keeping it until a substantial amount has accumulated, and then making it available to those in need in the community. There are numerous community services that make sure that your “small change” goes to feed those who are hungry.

One interesting example of leaving the gleanings is told in the book of Ruth. Ruth was a woman whose husband died in a foreign land. Ruth joined her mother-in-law in returning to Israel, where Ruth gathered the gleanings in the fields of a man named Boaz. As the story progresses, Boaz took notice of Ruth, and eventually married her. This woman who gathered the leftover grain in the field gave birth to a son called Obed. Oh, yes, Obed had a son named Jesse, and a grandson named David, yes, the David who became the king of Israel. The entire nation of Israel was blessed because Boaz instructed his men to leave plenty of gleanings for the poor and foreigners in the land.

Being Tender

Colossians 3:12,13 Being Tender

“Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his great love and concern for you, you should practice tender-hearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. Be gentle and ready to forgive, never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (TLB).

I was attracted to the tender light green ends of the branches above. They are the most tender, and because they are at the very end of the branches, they are also the most vulnerable. In the Scripture above we are told that we are to “practice tender-hearted mercy and kindness to others.” God has the right to ask that of us because of the great love and patience He has shown us. But if I do that, I will be vulnerable and easily hurt. That’s right, but the Scripture also tells us to “suffer quietly and patiently.” That seems like a lot to ask of us, but then, that’s a lot of love He has shown us. Just ask Jesus about suffering quietly and patiently. He did all of that, and He did it for me and for you. He did it so that we could enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven. When I think about Jesus’ suffering, I find it harder to complain about the hurts that I might receive by showing a tender heart to those who need understanding or mercy. And when I am hurt by others. I am to “be gentle and ready to forgive, never holding grudges.” I must forgive because I have been forgiven.

There are many people in this world who are in great need of a tenderhearted listener, one who will show kindness and mercy, and it is our joy to provide that. That may be the strongest sermon we can ever preach. A “thank you” received from someone who has been raised from despair through our actions is a fantastic reward. In the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40, “The king will answer them, ‘I tell you this: ‘You did all these things to help other people. They were not important people, but they were my friends. When you helped them, then you helped me’” (EASY).