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In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “Acts 20:35
A woman suffering from hemorrhaging for over a decade touches His robe and is healed immediately. A man sits alone beside a pool that represents his only hope for healing, for 38 years until He shows up and heals him. A man born blind is given the opportunity to see the faces of those who have cared for him for his entire life when mud is put on his eyes and his eyes are opened.
The life of Jesus Christ was life full of doing acts of kindness in the lives of people around Him. Every act of kindness that we have recorded in the Bible involves Jesus meeting not only the spiritual needs of the people but also their physical and emotional needs. His acts of kindness reached beyond the person healed to friends and family members who rejoiced along side their now-healthy loved one.
Today we call acts of kindness ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ but there should be no ‘randomness’ in our acts of kindness for the Christ-follower. The word ‘random’ is defined by Webster as ‘a haphazard course without definite aim, rule, direction or method. But if we are to answer the question ‘What Would Jesus Do’ we need to follow the example he set forth.
Jesus’ “Acts of Kindness’ were anything but ‘random.’ Jesus always reached out for the weak, the struggling and the poor, not the strong. Jesus always met the emotional and physical needs as well as the spiritual needs. Jesus went out of His way to meet with those who needed His touch and often at the expense of his own comfort. Jesus was more interested in relationship than recognition. As a result He would often tell those He healed to ‘Go, sin no more and don’t tell people what I’ve done.’ Finally, Jesus’ actions always pointed towards relationships, not religion.
Jesus wasn’t interested in what church people went to. He wasn’t interested in how they got into the condition they were in, what political views they held or any of the other things we label people by. Jesus’ goal in life was to make the lives of those He touched better after He touched them.
As Christ-followers we have the same mission. We aren’t random in our kindness. The way we treat people on a daily basis should be the way Jesus treated people. Make their lives better simply because they have been with us.
That’s not easy to do when we are cut-off in traffic by someone too busy texting to pay attention; when the only thing worse then the service in the restraint is the service; when our spouse/children/parents seem intent on making our lives miserable; when the choices we’ve made continue to haunt us.
Today, resolve to show ‘Deliberate Acts of Kindness’ to those around you. Be intentional in your love. Reach out to the weak. By God’s grace and with the power of His Holy Spirit, show the love and kindness of Christ in every situation. By giving kindness you will reap the reward of personal blessing.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I thank you for the examples you gave of kindness to people around you. I confess that my acts of kindness are random and not intentional. Empower me to show Deliberate Acts of Kindness to those around me, especially those I find offensive so that I can show Your love to others. In Your name I pray, Amen.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3
He was just an obscure shepherd. His family and his story suddenly appear in scripture out of nowhere. Abraham was untested when God promised him that he would be father of a great nation. In fact this promise was made before Abraham lied to the Pharaoh by telling him Sarah (his wife) was his sister to save his own skin (he did this twice), slept with his maid to produce his first son and abandoned his first son! Yet Romans tells us that Abraham believed in God and it was his belief, not his worthiness the caused God to look upon him as righteous.
Abraham was also chosen to be a blessing. God’s blessing upon Abraham resulted in those around him being blest. The source of this blessing was God’s work, not Abrahams. He did nothing to solicit the blessing others received nor did he do anything to deserve God’s using him as a tool of blessing. Scripture implies that Abraham really had no part in who was blest or who was not.
God’s protection was upon Abraham. Those that cursed Abraham were cursed by God. Again, Abraham had no part in this. When God’s protection is upon us we have no need to defend ourselves. God’s protection does not mean we will not endure attack. It does not free us from adversity. It does not guarantee that tragedy will not be a part of our life. What it does mean is that when we trust in God fully, He will build a shield around us. Nothing can separate us from the love and protection of Almighty God.
While none of us will be ‘a father of a great nation’ there are lessons each of us can learn from this story. First of all, God doesn’t wait for you to clean up your act or prove yourself or get an education or reach a certain age or place in life before he can use you. He is able to use you no matter what your past, regardless of mistakes you have made or the place you find yourself in life.
Secondly, where ever you go. Whatever situation you find yourself in. Regardless of how you got to the place you are in life. God’s protection is upon you. He is a passionate lover who will go to any length to make sure you are protected. You have no need to defend yourself. It isn’t up to you to ‘get even’ with those who attack you. God will take care of them in His time, in His way.
Lastly, you are blessed by God. Abraham looked forward to the promise of a great nation and a son who would be an eternal King. You can look back to the coming of that promise in Jesus Christ. His love and forgiveness will carry you through today and tomorrow, just as it did yesterday. Not only can you look back to the cross, you can look forward to that day when Jesus will come again to right the wrong and to end death, sickness, greed and hatred forever.
PRAYER: Father God. I’m once again humbled as I realize how much You love me. Like Abraham I, in no way deserve the life you have given me in Jesus. I fail miserably in what I say, do and think. I get angry at those who mistreat me. I defend my actions and retaliate in my own subtle ways. I hereby give you permission to do what you do best; protect me from my enemies, rid me of the past guilt and shame and bless those around me by the life you live through me. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 