BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE --- KINDNESS HAS A CHAIN REACTION…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32 (MSG) Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. 32 Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31 (NLT2) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
DEFINE:
*KINDNESS: Kindness is being more than nice, it is being considerate, friendly, generous, COMPASSIONATE, selfless, caring, understanding, positive mental and physical changes,
*BROTHERLY KINDNESS: At times it is easier to be kind to a stranger than you own family. You know the faults and quirks of your brothers.
*INTENTUAL, PURPOSED… DELIBERATE, PLANNED, DESIGNED, to think through, goal, accountable, never quit.
1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1 Corinthians 13:4 (MSG) Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head,
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NLT2) Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud.
BROTHERLY LOVE AND KINDNESS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE EASY TO ATTAIN…
Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
THERE IS A LESSON: IF YOU LIVE BY THE SWORD, YOU WILL DIE BY THE SWORD…
ELISHA AND GEHAZI OBSERVE THE PROBLEMS DIFFERENTLY. OPEN THE EYES OF OUR HEART…
2 Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
NOW IS THE CHANCE TO KILL OUR ENEMIES… SHALL WE SMITE THEM WHILE THEY ARE BLIND?
2 Kings 6:21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! YOU KILL THEM AND THEIR SONS WILL COME AND KILL US LATER…
2 Kings 6:22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
KINDNESS PREVAILS… KINDNESS BRINGS PEACE…
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
KINDNESS CAN BE EXPRESSED IN LITTLE THINGS… COOL DRINK OF WATER? DON’T JUST GIVE WATER --- COOL WATER REQUIRES GREAT EFFORT AND FRESHNESS.
Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
LOVE GOD! LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR…. LOVE IS KIND…
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
LOVE IS KIND… WHAT DOES KINDNESS MEAN TO YOU?
HOW DO WE DEFINE, DEMONSTRATE KINDNESS…? DO WE REALIZE KINDNESS IS A CHOICE? KINDNESS IS NOT BEING PASSIVE… KINDNESS IS AN ACTION WORD… ONE PERSON CAN START A CHAIN REACTION!
The pass it forward movement has produced a neat by product. I heard Oprah Winfrey went through a toll booth and she paid for two cars behind her. One car was a PORSCHE. The man in the fancy car turned around and went back to ask who did this? The lady was not allowed to tell. The man pulled out was so touched by this RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS… He gave the lady in the toll booth money to pay for the next one hundred cars. This one act of kindness was set in motion by one person’s little gift.
NOTE: I hear people brag on someone’s RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS that gave to them. I have never heard of many cases where the person was kind… they tell stories of other’s kind deeds?
WHAT LESSONS ARE WE TEACHING ON KINDNESS?
I love the story of a women’s softball game between CENTRAL OREGON and WESTERN OREGON. Central Oregon had the lead and Western Oregon had scored and made the game much closer. A freshman player girl from Western Oregon stepped to the plate. Her name was SARA TUCHOLSKY. Sara had never had a homerun. On this day SARA stepped to the plate and made her first career homerun. As Sara was rounding first base she tore the muscles in her knee so bad that she could not move for the great pain. The rules are very clear her coach could not touch her. No one on the team could touch or help Sara finish walking around the bases. Sara was laying on the ground crying in great pain.
To everyone’s surprise a player from CENTRAL OREGON took off her glove and laid it aside. She reached down and helped Sara up. Another girl from Central lay aside her glove and the two women got under SARA’s ARMS. They helped her to second base. Then third… They carried her to HOME PLATE and they sat SARA’S FOOT ON HOME.
This act of kindness cost CENTRAL OREGON the game. WESTERN WON THE GAME! The two Central Oregon players were greeted with screams of cheer and applause. The crowd gave a standing ovation. The coaches of both teams ran out on the field. The benches cleared and rejoiced. Even the umpires were amazed.
THERE WAS A GREAT LESSON TAUGHT AND LEARNED THAT DAY… THE LESSON WAS MORE THAN W OR L. The lesson was greater than WIN and LOSE.
CONCLUSION: We know kindness touches people! The question is am I AN EXAMPLE AND TEACHING KINDNESS? Do I care? Kindness is more than deeds… Kindness should be a lifestyle… Gentle? Self-control? Be consistent. Be intentional.
Often the person needing KINDNESS MIGHT NOT DESERVE IT. Have you ever spoken an unkind word? Do we ever make mistakes? IS REVENGE PART OF OUR DIALOG? HOW KIND ARE YOU?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
