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This week our Bible Study topic is Bubbling Over with Hope.  As a Christian, our hope is a “confident expectancy” in all that God can do.  Christian hope is not just wishful thinking, but reflects faith in God’s power, righteousness and grace.  Because we believe in a powerful, all-knowing, graceful and loving God, we can have a hope that culminates in love, joy and peace.  Over the next week we will explore the basis for our hope and how we can trust in the plans God has for our lives.

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We are called to demonstrate kindness as an act of following in the footsteps of Jesus.  As Christians we need to do more than just deal with kindness in the abstract.  Christians need to apply kindness in our day-to-day lives.

We should begin by exhibiting kindness in our home.  We can get so busy with things we need to get done for ourselves or others that we begin to take advantage of those we care about the most.  Harsh words to our spouse or children can cut very deeply.  Daily words and acts of kindness among those we love most are a necessary part of living with each other and form family bonds that can last a lifetime.

We demonstrate kindness to our friends by providing time to meet with them and listen to them.  We can be there in both good times and times of need.  We can offer prayers and service.  We can offer hospitality and support.  We share life experiences with our friends in ways that bring memories and joy that are shared over time.

We should demonstrate kindness in our work life.  We want to achieve our goals by working well with others, even when we are faced with difficult people.  We can accomplish much by working together in kindness and toward common goals instead of getting into contentious relationships that are competing and power-based.  Recognizing colleagues efforts, giving credit for work accomplished, being a team player, and supporting each other to meet difficult schedules and goals can make our time at work better and can leave an imprint on those we work with.  This applies not only to paid employment, but also to work we do in service or through volunteering.

We should also seek opportunities to show kindness to strangers – those we encounter in our day-to-day life who are not part people we consider our family and friends.  This involves kindness to random people we meet through the day as we are in the marketplace, as we commute, or as we run errands.   It might be as simple as saying “have a nice day” to the bagger at the grocery store, or holding a door open for someone or smiling at someone who looks like they may need some encouragement.

We are kind not only because it helps people, but because it is a reflection of God in our life.  We do this to serve others and also to demonstrate God’s presence in the world today.

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“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”  [Philippians 2:3-4  The Message]

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In Jeremiah 9:24, we learn what God values:  kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth.   These values are opposed to the worldly, human values that are based on our own wisdom, our own strength and our own riches.   Kindness, justice and righteousness define God’s very character.  To delight the Lord, we need to have them define our character as well.  By exhibiting these characteristics in our daily life, we can delight the Lord and  experience the Kingdom of God here on earth.

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God’s loving kindness is revealed to us as he heals our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.  God blesses us with his grace and saves us despite our sin.  He showers us with grace and kindness when we are totally undeserving. How has God’s kindness personally touched you?  How can you reflect this level of kindness back to someone you know who is in need?  Demonstrating kindness in our lives, even to those we might find unlovely or undeserving, reveals how God is at work in the world.

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How can we be the living expression of God’s kindness today?

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This week’s study is about “bubbling over with kindness”.  It is an invitation to celebrate the kindness of God by reflecting God’s kindness in our everyday relationships.  Kindness begins with caring and requires that we look beyond ourselves and recognize the needs of others.  It means not being so busy and overloaded that we charge forward without paying any attention to those in our path.  How can we be kind?  It may be as simple as taking time to be with family and friends.  It may be by helping out when a team member at work or school is experiencing difficulty.  It may be as simple as not being impatient and rude if the person ahead of us in the grocery line is having a hard time getting organized at the checkout counter or someone is driving slowly in the fast lane.  We might take the time to call, write or visit someone who would love to hear from us.  Kindness is contagious.   When you experience kindness, pass it along and think about the ways you experience and share God’s love and kindness each day.

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I had a “gentle” yoga class today and totally enjoyed the time that I was given to meditate as well as exercise.  I continually thought (when not struggling to balance):  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind,  and with all your  soul.  This simple passage, thought of throughout a 90-minute class, left me mentally refreshed and strengthened to take on the day.

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1 Chronicles 16:11 tells us that we should seek God and His strength by continually seeking His presence.  When we seek the Lord and worship Him, we find strength to deal with the problems we are bound to encounter in this life.  Continually seeking His presence– this means not half-heartedly seeking God – occasionally saying a prayer to ask for something we desire —  but fully and continually finding ways to know God, praise God and express gratitude to  Him for all we have. Taking time to be with God to discern the plan He might have for our lives — ways to serve others and grow His kingdom.   When we lose our focus on God, we deny ourselves the very strength that God provides to deal with our needs in life.   To seek the Lord we need to work to prepare our hearts, minds and souls to focus on God and gain the strength only He can provide.

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“Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him….Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness….And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself.”
― Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place

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