Wonderfully Kind

Praise the Lord, my soul,

 and do not forget how kind he is. Ps. 103:2

It is good to remember that God is always dealing with us in kindness.  Everything he does comes from a kind and generous heart.  

Even in times of discipline when he is working for change in our lives, it is always with our good and ultimate well-being in mind.  He knows where we need to go and is always kindly and gently leading us there. And he will not give up until he has completed his work.  

Romans 2:4 tells us that his kindness is intended to lead us to repentance.  Repentance just means a change of heart and mind that causes us to turn and go in a different direction. A change of heart is what we all need. The Message translation puts it this way:  God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

You may be keenly aware of your failures and so you are feeling a sense of condemnation and guilt. That isn't God talking. He is kindly saying, "I will help you. I will hold you by your right hand and lead you on to new and better things."

If you hear his voice, don't turn away.  He knows exactly what you need.  Receive him, believe in him. He is the giver of new life.

There's a Wideness in God's Mercy 

Frederick W. Faber

(1814–1863)

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner,

And more graces for the good;

There is mercy with the Savior;

There is healing in His blood.

For the love of God is broader

Than the measure of our mind;

And the heart of the Eternal

Is most wonderfully kind.

If our love were but more simple,

We should take Him at His word;

And our lives would be all sunshine

In the sweetness of our Lord.

But we make His love too narrow

By false limits of our own;

And we magnify His strictness

With a zeal He will not own.

The Lord is merciful and loving,

slow to become angry and full of constant love. 

As high as the sky is above the earth,

so great is his love for those who honor him.

  As far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our sins from us. 

As a father is kind to his children,

so the Lord is kind to those who honor him. 

He knows what we are made of;

he remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:8‭, ‬11‭-‬14 GNTD

Help

 As we work together, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s great kindness and then ignore it.  For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, God is ready to help you right now! Today is the day of salvation.

2 Cor 6:1-2 (NLT)

No matter how we feel, God always stands ready to help us.

Sometimes we get wrapped up in ourselves and our problems. Our negative thought patterns can dominate our minds to the point that we actually ignore God's great kindness.  As soon as we wake up and call to him for help he responds.  He is always there ready to help.  Today, is the day of salvation.

Lord, thank you for your word that reminds us that you are always standing next to us ready to help.  Let us turn our hearts and minds to you so that we can receive the help we need right when we need it.  

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Heb 4:16 (NLT)

 

Inflated or Deflated

So encourage each other and build each other up just as you are already doing.1 Thess 5:11 (NLT)

One of our important jobs is to build each other up.  Have you ever had the experience of being around a person for a while and you begin to feel deflated like someone is letting air out of your balloon.  Then you can be around others who make you feel loved and encouraged like someone is pumping you up.

I find that those who are the life givers exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit:  love, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness.  When we are around this kind of person we can relax and receive the grace they exhibit

We are designed to be encouragers, but often, because we ourselves are so deflated we tend to suck the life out of others around us.  We need to take the time and effort to take care of ourselves, to connect with God and other encouragers, so that we, too, will be life-givers.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

 goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Gal 5:22-23 (NLT)

Gentleness

Thy gentleness hath made me great.

Psalms 18:35 (KJV)

 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you.

2 Cor 10:1 (NIV)

Snow!  Here we were expecting a torrential downpour to test our new driveway and what do we get?  Snow! Snow coming down in soft fluffy flakes.   

Elijah may have expected to see God’s power in a dramatic way.  He thought God was in the wind, in the earthquake or in the fire, but God came unexpectedly in a still small voice, in a whisper like the softly falling snow. 

Hesed, the Hebrew word used for God’s love, is usually translated loving- kindness - a beautiful picture of the way in which God demonstrates his love toward us.  He comes to us not in harshness, but with a gentle spirit. In his great strength he exhibits meekness -  the quality of strength under control.

Jesus demonstrated such great affection and kindness that people were not afraid to bring their little children to him. He is gentle and humble and we, too, should not be afraid to bring all of ourselves to him.  There we will find rest in his gentleness and strength. 

And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by,

 and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain.

 It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose,

 but the Lord was not in the wind.

 After the wind there was an earthquake, 

but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 

And after the earthquake there was a fire,

 but the Lord was not in the fire.

 And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

1 Kings 19:11-12 (NLT)