This world in which we
live offers very little "good word, soft and gentle." Yet the grief
and cares continue to pile up at times. The solution to this dilemma
is the kindness of God, and it takes a human being who understands
this to show the kindness of God to another person.
Ephesians
4:31-32
Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you.
Bitterness, wrath,
anger, clamour and evil speaking are the things that bring grief
into a person's life. It is these things that we are to put off,
like taking off a heavy jacket. Then we are to be kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Doing these things
gives an effervescence and glow to our life, and to those we come
in contact with.
Colossians
3:12-13
Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing
one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
People fear selfishness
in others, but never fear it in themselves. Curling up in a corner
to feel sorry for what others may have done to us, is nothing more
than selfishness. When we turn to God's Word, we see what our
response should be. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another
in love. To do this takes kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and
longsuffering.
There is a record in
the Old Testament which chronicles a situation in which King David
showed the kindness of God toward another.
II Samuel 9:1-3
And David said,
Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew
him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And there was of the house of Saul
a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto
David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy
servant is he. And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house
of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said
unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
This was contrary to
the customs of that day and time. When a king from a different
bloodline took over the reign as king in a country, he would find
out if the previous king had any living prodigy and have them
executed. This act would secure his future bloodline to the throne.
David did things a little differently, he didn't have Saul's
relative executed, but rather showed the kindness of God to him for
Saul's son, Jonathan's sake. David did it on behalf of God.
Verses 7-11
And David said
unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for
Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of
Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
And he bowed
himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look
upon such a dead dog as I am?
Then the king
called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto
thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
Thou therefore,
and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and
thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food
to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread always at
my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Then said Ziba
unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded
his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the
king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.
David was called a man
after God's own heart. David did what God would have done in that
situation. In this record, he exemplified the kindness of God toward
the house of Saul, the former king. He dealt
kindly with this man. Instead of being bitter and unforgiving, he
went above and beyond for him. David's heart was not to make himself
look good, or to show everyone how his government was better than
Saul's. His heart was to show the kindness of God toward him for
Jonathan's sake. David eased his pain and made his living
situation better.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one
another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Those who have been
called to the One Body of Christ are obligated to each other. We are
obligated to bear one another's burdens when we can. That can
involve listening to another person talk something out; it can be
saying a kind word; it can be just an act of forgiving someone.
Verses 9,10
And let us not
be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
The old saying that
goes, "Sticks and stones, may break my bones, but words will never
hurt me," was simply not a true statement. The purpose of this
saying was to salve over hurtful words that people may say to us,
and make it sound like words don't really matter.
Proverbs 18:8
The words of a
talebearer are as wounds, and they go down to the innermost parts of
the belly.
On the other hand, our
words can help raise someone up.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words
are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
Our lives are very
important to God. He wants us to carry out what He needs done in
this world. If we spend our days worrying about things, or being
bitter over the past, nothing will get done. However, if we walk
with the renewed mind toward others, then healing and growth will
occur in our lives, as well as those we come into contact with.
