Making Kindness A Way Of Life

Making Kindness A Way Of Life
Proverbs 11:17. Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel. (New Living Translation)

Main Reading: Prov 3:27-31. 27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.
Kindness is not as easy as it looks. Kindness is different from kind in the same way that generosity is different from generous. Kind describes a person who finds it easy to give attention and do something about the needs of others. Kindness, on the other hand, is the visible proof that the man is kind. Kindness is the gift given by the kind man. Kindness ought to be a way of life for us. But how?

Monday : RULE 1: TRAIN YOURSELF TO GIVE AND NOT TO WITHHOLD
Prov 3:27-31. 27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.
DO NOT WITHHOLD; the statement points us to the common human tendency to withhold and not to give; a tendency which we are to distance ourselves from. DO NOT WITHHOLD means to train ourselves so that we do not become SELFISH which describes a man whose personal interest is the most important thing to him. The text is clear enough: DO NOT WITHHOLD; train yourself to be a willing giver and generous sharer of the blessings you have received from God. Get into the habit of doing good to others. This means asking the question: What can I do for this person?
How about applying this first in our families? Doing good focuses not on the item but on the act and its impact on the person. Is there someone in the family who can benefit from a good word or an act of kindness from you? What act of goodness or kindness have you shown your family members? PRAYER: Teach me to give willingly and to share with others what I have received from you.

Tuesday : RULE 2: TRAIN YOURSELF TO KNOW WHICH PERSON DESERVES HELP.
Prov 3:27-31. 27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.
The word is full of needy people. The good news is that there are also many good people who are eager to respond to the plight of the needy. The text reminds us to do good to those who deserve it. Here is a word of wisdom from this verse: Not every needy person you see deserves the help that you might want to give. How then can I know whether a person deserves to be helped or not?
The Lord Jesus helps us with His words in Matt 7:6” "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” Let’s use the mention of the pearl and the pigs as our guide since that is easier to understand. Pigs are eaters of almost anything you throw at them. Pigs, however, cannot and does not understand the value of pearls. It’s not going to be of help to pigs to give pearl although pearl is of great value to human beings. The deserving person is not difficult to identify: He is one who can truly benefit from the help you are giving. His needs are met, you will see appreciation, improvement of attitude and the like. He is the deserving person. But if you help a person and his wicked lifestyle remains the same, he is not the deserving person. If you are giving something to a person and all that it does is maintain his wicked lifestyle, he does not deserve your nor anybody’s help. PRAYER: Lord, I want to help but teach me to help the right way and the right person.

Wednesday : RULE 3: TRAIN YOURSELF TO UNDERSTAND YOUR ABILITIES AND YOUR LIMITATIONS
Prov 3:27-31. “27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.”
So far, we learned that to help the right way and to make kindness a way of life, we must: 1) Train ourselves to do good so that doing good becomes a way of life; 2) Train ourselves to identify which person deserves help, indicating that some are needy but do not deserve help. The third rule focuses on the extent and limits of our abilities. The text says: “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it WHEN IT IS IN YOUR POWER TO ACT.” It’s a simple but a very wise reminder. We must be willing to do good and we must actually do good when there is an opportunity but we must also understand that we can only do good in relation to our God-given abilities.
You may want to help someone who is going to jail for a crime he has committed but it is not in your power to interfere with the judicial process. You may want to help all the beggars in Metro Manila but you do not have that capacity so don’t feel bad about it. You want to help someone recover from his wicked ways but unless he decides there is nothing you can do. The lesson is simple: Be willing to help but do not judge yourself negatively nor harbor a bad feeling over something that you really do not have a control of. When the person is deserving and when we are able, we help. PRAYER: Lord, help me to do the best within the limits of the abilities that you have given me. Keep me from feeling bad when sometimes I find myself unable to help.

Thursday : RULE 4: TRAIN YOURSELF IN THE SPIRITUAL SKILL OF GIVING TIMELY HELP.
Prov 3:27-31. “27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" — when you now have it with you.”
The timeliness of your help depends on several factors: 1) The person really is in need; 2) the person deserves to be helped and 3) you do have the ability to help. The fourth one focuses on when to help the person. Do not wait for tomorrow if you are able to help today. You know you can help, you know that you have the resources right now and you know that the person truly has a need. So it tells us not to wait for tomorrow.
The issue is not to delay any good thing that you can do. Analyzed in the light of the other parts of the Bible, there are many reasons for not delaying help to the one who is in need. For example, if you have a worker in your employ, the rule is pay him at the right time; do not delay. Deut 24:15: “ Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.” If you know that you must help today and you delay it until tomorrow, it is actually a sin. James 4:16-17. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. (NIV). Apply this in different areas in life. Tell your spouse that you love him/her today, why wait for tomorrow? Forgive today why wait for tomorrow? PRAYER: Lord help me to understand clearly the value of timely kindness.

Friday : RULE 5: TRAIN YOURSELF TO BE HAPPY WHILE HELPING OTHERS.
Prov 14:21. He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
The person who is kind to the needy is considered blessed. The Hebrew word for blessed (ESHER) literally means HAPPY. Our usual understanding of the word BLESSED is that of gifts that God has given us. That is part of the meaning of the word BLESSED but it can no longer apply when we remember that even God is BLESSED (Bless the Lord Oh my soul)! BLESSED MEANS HAPPY. Happy is the man who is kind to the needy.
Happiness is both a gift, a choice and also a command. Phil 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice ! (NIV). God can give you the gift of happiness through the kindness that you have shown to someone. Then, as a matter of choice, decide to be happy in what you are doing. Understand too, that happiness is a matter of obedience. Do you know how to be happy when you are helping others? Don’t focus on what you have lost but focus on being grateful to God for giving you the chance to show God’s kindness to others. Gratitude generates happiness. BLESSED (HAPPY) IS THE MAN WHO IS KIND TO THE NEEDY. And what happens when one is happy? Do you remember this verse? Prov 17:22. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.” (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION) PRAYER: Lord, I choose to be happy, I choose to obey and I accept your gift of happiness as I extend your kindness to others.

Saturday : RULE 6: TRAIN YOURSELF TO FOCUS ON GOD’S HONOR FOR EVERY GOOD ACT THAT YOU HAVE CARRIED OUT.
Prov 14:31. “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”
The wisdom is this: in helping the poor, it is not really the poor who is the main issue. It is not even you as the giver of help. Helping others is an act of HONORING GOD! It’s all about Him! The opposite is just as true: Oppressing others is showing contempt for their Maker. Food for the hungry, money for the medicine of someone who is really needy, notebooks for the poor children, a kind word to someone in your family, an encouraging pat on the back; all these are acts of kindness and if we go by what the Bible has said, these acts honor God.
If we now link this lesson with the other lessons for the previous days, we now realize that there is so much we can do to honor God. Make kindness a way of life and honoring God will be a way of life for you as a natural result. The poor benefits from your help but that is not the biggest issue. In showing kindness to others, God is honored. Will you honor God today? Do something good to someone. Say something good to someone. It is not about us or the others. It is about God and His honor. PRAYER: Lord, remind me please to honor you everyday through every act that I carry out.

Sunday : RULE 7: REMEMBER THE LESSON: KINDNESS IS THERAPEUTIC AND ANTI-AGING. PRAISE GOD!
Prov 11:17. A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. (NIV). Prov. 11:17. You do yourself a favor when you are kind. If you are cruel, you only hurt yourself. (TEV).
Prov 11:17. “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.”
(TLB)
The first translation is from the New International Version. The next one is from the TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION and the last one is from THE LIVING BIBLE. Comparing this verse in three (3) different versions or translations helps us to see clearly what the Bible is trying to say to us. Here is the flow of the argument: Whatever you do will have an impact on you. If your act is kind, you will personally benefit from that act of kindness. If your act is cruel (hurting others), it will come back to you in the form of trouble. The old saying was: “What you sow you will reap.” In Filipino, we would say: “Kung anong intinanim siyang aanihin.”
Here is a more modern of saying it: Do good, feel good. Do bad, feel bad. There is something about doing good that is potently therapeutic. There is something about saying a good word that can nourish your own soul. But, when we withhold what is good from others, we will suffer as a result. Let’s spend time and meditate on these verses: Psalm 112:5: Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Psalm 41:1-3. Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. 3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.” PRAYER: Lord, help me cleanse my soul, nourish my mind, strengthen my body and improve my outlook by honoring You through acts of kindness to others.