September 2022 first week

Friday, September 9, 2022,  Where does love stop and kindness begin?

Lesson Objective: To discuss the relationship between love and kindness

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

In the English language, we have words that allow us to individually dictate which word is proper depending on how and when we use it.  An example is hot, warm, cool, and cold. We each get to decide what is hot and what is cold or in between depending on how we feel. We also have words like hate, dislike, like, and love. Again, we get to choose which word best describes our feelings at the moment. The Bible is more concrete. You either love or hate. There is no place for like or dislike. Love and kindness are two words where there is no almost or sometimes, one either loves or hates and one is either kind or not kind.  There is no depending on the circumstances. One can argue that there is someplace where hot can become cold but there is no place that divides love and kindness. We are kind because we love and because we love we are kind. Just as there is only one fruit of the spirit that comprises both love and kindness among other ingredients, we cannot separate kindness and love.

Thought for the day: Be kind today and show some love

Thursday, September 8, 2022  week 1 Kindness opens the door for blessings

Lesson Objective:  To look at how being kind can allow for multiple blessings

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

My wife smiles at me sometimes because I have a habit of saying thank you when I get dinner or some other gestures that others may expect naturally. When I go to the store or buy street food, I usually say thank you and the person serving me will smile not expecting me to say thank you. My grandmother taught me that saying thank you is a requirement and thus it comes naturally to me.  What is the benefit? The other day I went into the store to buy some bread and the cashier would not let me buy the bread because she said it was too old. She also pointed me to another item that I wanted to buy and suggested a lower-priced item that was actually better. I fell asleep on the bus and the driver knew my bus stop and woke me. These are not monumental events but it is the little things that make life so good.

Thought for the day: The only thing that kindness costs is a smile and we have plenty of those.

Thought for the day September 2022 week 1

Wednesday, September 6, 2022, Be especially kind to those who are not kind

Lesson Objective:  To understand the importance of sharing kindness to those who are not kind.

Scripture: Job 31:29-30 

“Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,

Or exulted when evil befell him?

“No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin

By asking for his life in a curse

It is very easy to be kind and helpful to those whom we like and call friends. We rejoice with them and weep with them. It is much more difficult to be as kind and helpful to those who are not kind to us and especially those whom we consider an enemy.  However, the true test of kindness and love is shown when we are kind to those whom we do not consider to be friends or who may have in fact done or said something that harmed us. There are two reasons why we should show kindness: 1) It is required that we love all as stated by Christ in the two great commandments and 2) showing kindness serves as a witness of God in our lives. Someone asked me if it was appropriate for someone to curse another. I wished that I had remembered the verse above with my answer. The verse above suggests that it may be a sin to curse someone whom we may consider to be an enemy. Last but not least important is that it is much easier to forgive when you have treated a person with kindness instead of bitterness.

Thought for the day: Say good morning and even if the person does not say good morning smile and say good morning again and see what happens.

 

Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Going the Extra Mile

Lesson Objective:  To discuss the extent of kindness

Scripture: (Proverbs 11:17

A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel person brings ruin on himself.”

Many of us have read or discussed the parable of the Good Samaritan and how Christ used that parable to reflect on love and who is our neighbor. It reminds us that it is not enough to do just enough but we must go the extra mile when we are demonstrating kindness. The Samaritan showed love and kindness by stopping to aid the gentleman and he showed kindness and love when he paid for his care however he also went the extra mile to tell the innkeeper to not worry about the cost because he would pay any amount still owed when he returned from his travels. How do I show such? If someone asks me for $5 because they want to buy lunch, do I just give them the $5 or do I consider the fact that they will also need to eat dinner thus giving them extra? Kindness is not something to be measured. We should do all that we can do and more for doing just enough is never enough.

 

Thought for the day: Let your kindness be like coffee in that you serve coffee in a cup with a saucer to catch the overflow. Let your kindness not only reach the brim but overflow into the saucer

Thought for the Day

September 2022 Week 1

Monday, September 5, 2022  Kindness begets Kindness

Lesson Objective: To understand the importance of kindness

Scripture: – Proverbs 3:3              

Do not let kindness and truth leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart

I try and go out and exercise every morning and there are a few people in our community whom I see each morning even though there is a language barrier ( My Chinese is not good at all) we usually smile and say good morning. There is one gentleman who always calls out to me to make sure that he speaks to me and offers me a seat after I walk up the slight hill to the house. This morning, he called out and I motioned that I would not stop and just continue home. He motioned to me again and insisted that I come to him. I did and then he offered me a banana. It was as if he was waiting for me to come up the hill so that he could give me the banana. How did he know that bananas are my favorite fruit? He put a smile on my face, not because of anything he said but simply his act of kindness. I can only hope that I exemplify that same kindness in my actions so that I can demonstrate the love of God to those around me.

Thought for the day:  Kindness can be contagious.  How about spreading it all through the day