Thursday Ponderings

18th April 2013 Be Kind!

1 Corinthians 13:4 says ”Love is ... kind” How often have we read that verse but not stopped to think about it. Of course I’m kind, we would cry if questioned. But what does kind mean? The oxford dictionary definition of kind is (adjective ) - having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature...

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Well that’s ok ... but is it? How friendly are you? Do you make an effort to speak to people you don’t know at church or do you always speak to people you’ve known for years? How many people that you don’t know very well have you invited back for a coffee in the last month? I’m afraid those of you who are shy do not have a let out clause. You may have to pray a bit harder before you go up and speak to someone you don’t know very well, than those of us who are more confident , but you cannot be a Christian, and remain in the clique you’ve been in for years.

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God doesn’t ask us to do anything that He doesn’t equip us fully to do but do we have faith in Him to be there for us to help us through any awkward silences. Those of you who are retired – how fantastic is that – you have so many more free hours to serve God, So many free hours to invite people round for coffee. So many free hours to be friendly. So many free hours to be kind.#

~ Just in case you doubt that that’s what God wants you to do. Romans 12:13 “..... practice hospitality.......” Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers…” and 1 Peter 4:9 “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” ~ Going back to the oxford dictionary definition of kind, just to remind ourselves – “having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature.” Hmm generous, that’s a tricky one isn’t it. Unfortunately, here in the west our attitude is all too often – well I tithe, that’s enough, or I support such and such a charity. Or a good one is, well I give my time instead. ~ Jesus described what he means by generosity in Matthew 19:21 He said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” And in Luke 12:33, he says “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” ~

Obviously generosity applies to time as well but being generous with your time does not mean you don’t have to be generous with your money and possessions. The last adjective in the dictionary definition of kind is considerate. I think the verse love others as you love yourself sums this up nicely. Basically it means treat others as you would like them to treat you .

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