Being Kind Is Doing Life God's Way

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, Jesus gets very specific about how that kindness might look to us.  

28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’(Mt. 11)

Here Jesus is offering to carry our load. To actually take on our worried, pains, burdens and tragedies.  

Kindness is a caring about others.  By doing what would be best to help them through whatever it is that need company.

Yesterday I l left you with this question: Does Jesus ever say, directly In the Gospels, to be nice?

The answer to that question is no!

Instead of that showy word nice, Jesus talks about kindness.  A genuine displays tenderness, compassion, gentleness etc..

Being nice can often be away of removing ourselves from the reality of what is. 

In is often a casual way of being with others.  Not actually joining into another’s feelings and struggles.

Don’t get me wrong.  Being nice is not a bad thing.  

It is surely a lot better than being rude.

But it is very different than the offer of kindness.

One of my very favorite Bible verse for the difference between nice and kind comes from Collisions 3:

 12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the LORD as forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

Whenever the tiny word ‘as’ appears, in the New Testament, we want to be sure to pay attention.

As is usually, if not always, referring to an action in the ways of God.

Love as I have loved.  Being kind is doing life God's way.

   Be kind as I am kind. 

       Be humble as I am humble.

           Be gracious as I am gracious.    

                Forgive give as, as I have forgiven.

¹⁷ The Lord is just in all his ways,

   and kind in all his doings. (Ps. 145)

Kind? Or Nice?

I am thinking about two terms:  nice and kindness.

On the surface they seem to be the same.  As a matter of fact they are used in both list of synonyms for the other.

However I want to challenge that popular thinking.

When I began to think about all of this, a few mornings ago, I found that without some help from dictionaries I was stumped. 

So I went to my favorite sources for a bit of help.

Then I looked in the concordance, for nice and kind. 

Did you know nice, except for one reference, can not be found?

Don’t you think that is interesting?

Yet, though out history there has been a common understanding that church-goers are suppose to “be nice.”

So since I was aware that nice was not a common word in scripture; I googled information in the Greek and Hebrew.  

In the Hebrew I found references to nice as: lovely, charming, delightful, pleasant and desirable.

In the Greek the references are:  pretty, likable, engaging, pleasant, pleasing, agreeable in nature or appearance.

Now lets look at the Greek and Hebrew meanings for kind and kindness:

Here we find an interesting contrast.  

Kind brings the sense of 
                                   “good, 
                                            loving,
                                                     useful, 
                                                              excellent.  

In particular reference to human character the understanding is: worthy, decent, honest, morally upright, gentle and genuine.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament pages 1320-1321)

Those two term tug at my imagination.  

I invite you to read them again for yourself.

In my mind there is a huge — but subtle — difference between nice, and kind/kindness.

I invite you to comment on your impression.

Then I will leave you with this question: Does Jesus ever say directly, In the Gospels, to be nice?

"I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,"

I visited the Dry Bone story from Ezekiel this morning.  It has been one of those Bible stories that never fails to play with my imagination.

As I read it, again this morning, I couldn’t help but think about the deadly virus that is presently consuming the minds of most people today.

This passage, from Ezekiel 37, is an impossible metaphor of a valley of very dry, dead, lifeless bones.  

Thousands of body parts lying disconnect.

And yet God sees possibility in these white brittle bones.

There is the possibility of hope lying all over that valley floor.

How could this metaphorical story relate to the coronavirus?

The answer is found at the end of this story:

11 Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” ¹²Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’ (Ezek. 37)

We are a people who have found ourselves in an unfamiliar circumstance for sure.  

        It is scary.

           Impossible.

              It is Life suffocating. 

           It is inconvenient. 

        It is our of our control. 

           It feels somehow hopeless.  

              We literally have no where to go.  

       

So there is the temptation to forget that God is in the midst of it all.

I don’t know how God is working.  But, by faith, I am positive that He is.

As the four wind blow upon the whole world; God’s possibility move mightily along.

I Am The LORD Your God

I am sitting in my chair looking out at the snow covered trees, from yesterdays spring snow. I am thinking about this interesting life 2020 has dealt us.  

I am wondering how other people, who live alone, are meeting the demands of a safe shelter existence.

For me it is an interesting time trying to be good company with myself.

It is actually a  life challenge most of us have never had to face before  — at least not in a publicly sanctioned situation.  

The questions that come to my mind are:  

How do we deal with ourselves?

   

Do we make good company with our feelings?

What is it we enjoy doing that requires only one?

What do we think about when the space in our live is void of life’s noises?

What are the activities we chose?  

                                              Do you read? 

                                                Or watch TV? 

                                                  Play games on your computers?  

                                                    Take walks when the weather permits?

I have a dear friend who has found relief by going to the beach, and walking along the side walk, letting God’s breath blow though her brain as she enjoys the fresh sea air.

That, by the way, would be my choice.  But we don’t have ocean in Iowa.

Or, or do we sit and worry?   Fretting about this crazy health danger that is moving through our world like wildfire?

Now, don’t get me wrong.  There is a real need to live smart, and be cautious,  during this most recent outbreak of disease.  

However, I want to remind you — as I have reminded myself —  that in centuries past there have been other great plagues.  Plagues that have taken over people’s need to control their lives; and rendered that need into meaning-less-ness. 

In the 1346 Black Death traveled from Asia To Europe leaving over half of the population wiped out.  And literally  changed the course of their history.

From 1665-1666 Black Deaths caused a huge exodus in London.

Here at home Philadelphia was faced with Yellow Fever in 1793.

And I have lived long enough to remember the polio epidemic that began in 1916 that was not controlled until the Salk vaccine was developed in 1954.

Our world never has been immune to the possibility of extraordinary awfulness.

The truth is, that like the destruction of natures cycles; human life has its way to cleansing — leveling the population.

                                                        Like wire fires do to the land.

We are indeed in the way of such a wildfire.

And my mind just went to Isaiah 43 (As you read leave out the O Jacob and O Isreal):

But now thus says the Lord,

   he who created you, O Jacob,

   he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

   I have called you by name, you are mine. 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

   and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

   and the flame shall not consume you. 

For I am the Lord your God,

   the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

   Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 

Because you are precious in my sight,

   and honoured, and I love you,

I give people in return for you,

   nations in exchange for your life. 

Do not fear, for I am with you;

   I will bring your offspring from the east,

   and from the west I will gather you; 

I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,

   and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away

   and my daughters from the end of the earth— 

everyone who is called by my name,

   whom I created for my glory,

   whom I formed and made.’ (Is. 43)

Fear or Faith?

The whole world — the entire world as we know it — is living in sort of fear in the uncertainty of this time and this particular situations. 

A whole world who share the same fear of a fast spreading virus that is effecting every one on earth.

A truth that we are all experiencing without exception.

This thought began this morning as I walked my dog in the brisk, cold, mighty wind blowing powerfully around me.  And I thought of the wind as the Spirit of God moving across the earth taking care of whatever needs be being taken care of.  

And my prayer was: let it be so.

I remember hearing in class one day, long long time ago, that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  

I have never claimed to be a fan of U.S. History; but that line caught my young mind in a powerful way that day.

Franklin D Roosevelt,  I learned on google a moment ago,  said those word in an inaugural address in 1933.  A time in our history when the Great Depression was at its worst.  

It was a powerful address to a paralyzed nation.  I recommend you read it.

Now it is true that the Great Depression was not about a major health issue — as we are experiencing today. 

However the fear experienced then, as is now, is an emotion that paralyzes our since of direction.

So I went to my source, of supportable knowledge, The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, and looked up the word fear in the Greek and Hebrew definitions.

“To flee, fright, panic, quake, tremble — an emotion developed from the action of being startled and running away: equals fear…..Since fear brings oppression and anxiety, the absence of fear is worth seeking….it is associated also with to honor and signifies respect …. The reasons for fear are war, death, enslavement, loss of a loved one, disaster……….Trust in God brings freedom from fear.” (p 1272)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

      all those who practice it have a good understanding.(Ps. 111)

Trusting Is A Excellent Idea

I thought of this passage, from Matthew, while thinking about the strangeness of life all over the world today.

28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Mt. 11)

We, in America, are use to coming and going, moving in and out of life, without truly thinking about  any sort of danger.

I am sure that many of you, reading this blog in other countries, could say the same.

We live our lives not having to think about so many things that we just do naturally.  Opening a door, touching a button, pushing a grocery cart, walking down stair holding onto a railing that hundreds of other have touched.  Being around lots of people at one time.

Yet now, within just a matter of weeks, we are finding ourselves cautious.

We hear, on the news, of the dangers of the public arena.  

We hear that our financial structures are falling apart.

The world is full of cancelations and warnings.

Even our TV habits have been interrupted.  I mean they cancelled one of the largest tennis tournaments in the United States.    I don’t know about you, but thats a BIG one for this writer.

And without intending to we are beginning to worry, getting anxious, about all of the things we have no control of.

And God reminds us that we can lay it all on his shoulders.  That this too will pass away.  That the world has been thought scary before and it will again.  But God is presence always and forever. 

28 ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ 

All you and I have to do is to be smart about decisions we make.

And leave the rest to God’s care.

Does The World Really Want To Know WWJD?

For some years now a popular little question has been floating around.  The question is WWJD -- What Would Jesus Do?  People wear it on T-shirts, pins, bracelets and any other thing that displays what they want to ask.

Well actually, the question was answered thousand of  years ago by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians. His answer:

1 If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care - 2 then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. 3 Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. 4 Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. 5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. 6 He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. 7 Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was a incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.(Phil. 2:1-8 The Message)

With those words, we Just read from Philippians, fresh in our minds; do we really want to know what and how Jesus did it?  

Honestly, do we really want to know? 

Do we actually want to do life Jesus’ way?  

Because it is an incredibly humbling process…  living a selfless, obedient life.  

That is what Jesus did.  

                  That is what he invites us to do.

Just imagine for a moment how the world would change if we all accepted Jesus' invitation to live, and think, and do what Jesus did.

Amazing Grace That Saved A Wretch Like me

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ ³So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁶Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand,…(Jeremiah 18)

These verses from Jeremiah 18 could easily slip past our comprehension.  

Listen to what God says to Jeremiah:

⁶Can I not do with you,... just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand,…

Jeremiah is clay in the potter’s hand — a very personal message.  Until God moves,  all-to-quickly, to the behavior of all of Israel.  

Taking the personal out of the equation.

Jeremiah is going through a difficult time in his personal life.  Questioning himself and his purpose of being a messenger for God.

So God tells him to go to the potter’s house.

There Jeremiah finds a precious truth about this all-powerful and mighty God.  

He realizes that just as the potter can remold a spoiled pot, that has somehow been ruined,  God can remold us when our lives seem to be misshaped in some way.

I am thinking of those who have grown to think that they are not “good enough,” -- “adequate enough” --  to receive God’s attention -- acceptance.   Or have become convinced that God is not the loving God that Jesus claimed.

People in our world today go around believing that they don’t deserve God’s love and forgiveness.  They are convince that they are not decent enough to deserve God’s unconditionally amazing grace.  

The line in that favorite song says it best:

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound the saved a wretch like me!   I once was lost but now am found:  was blind but now I see.”

Maybe what God was trying to communicate to Jeremiah — and you and me — is that He is quite capable of removing our wretchedness.  

He is quite capable of reshaping us in His creative hands.

⁶Can I not do with you… just as this potter has done?

Not one person is excluded from this process.  

The only thing that might get in God’s way is our refusal.  And many times even  that doesn’t get in God’s way.