Today we want to consider another act of kindness. But it wasn't a random act. It was eternally deliberate, decidedly purposeful and lovingly planned. The daily portion of Scripture surely contains some of the richest theological truths in the entire Bible. Every phrase is rich and loaded with truth.

It begins, "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared". The Greek word for kindness "chrestotes" is used rather infrequently in the New Testament, and only five times does it refer to a characteristic of God. Theologian Charles Hodge points out that "God's grace is manifested through His kindness towards us, and that kindness is exercised through Christ and for His sake. The ground of this goodness is not in us but in Christ, and hence its character as grace, or unmerited favor."

Isn't it wonderful that one of the eternal qualities used to describe the God of the Universe is "kindness"!  In fact one of the richest expressions of His kindness is found in a teaching in the gospels that can be easily overlooked, since it primarily deals with our love for one another.

Jesus, in teaching that we are to love even our enemies, describes the Most High as "kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Luke 6:35). All over the world today His kindness is being demonstrated even to the ungrateful and wicked, many whom defiantly deny Him. God's own kindness is without measure.

Christ's willingness to offer Himself to save the lost world shows the extent of God's kindness. As God's chosen children we are to imitate His kindness in our relationship with others. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12).

Let us accept His kindness and love with gratitude and live as His children expressing kindness and love to others.



Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily Prayer: Father, throughout Scripture You show us practical ways that we can show kindness to others. Though it is easier to show it to some more than others, You command us to show kindness to all people, both friend and foe. Help us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to treat others as we want to be treated, to consider others before we consider ourselves, and to give of ourselves without expecting anything in return. When we do these acts of kindness it will give us opportunity to represent You, Father, as an obedient vessel through which Your Spirit flows. Flow through me today.  Amen.

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* I'm really not that old but consider how old 64 seemed when I was in my twenties!

My father-in-law Brooklyn Sherrell (now deceased) drove a truck for 40 years and frequently stopped to help people whose car was broken down. On occasion this got him into trouble since taking the time to help others in need was not on his work schedule. Deliveries needed to be on time. Sometimes he would take the people home with him whose car was in repair.

Once while Brooksyne was attending Bible College in Missouri a group of young people were broken down in Tulsa and Brooklyn towed their car so it could be fixed. As a way of expressing thankfulness they gave him a 10 speed bicycle and some Christian record albums. Brooklyn passed on the bicycle and albums to Brooksyne and she remembers this incident very well. There's a lot of evil in the world, but there's also a lot of "random acts of kindness" taking place for which we are thankful.

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