Easy Kindness

I few years ago, there was a saying that became rather popular and went something like this “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas“. Are you familiar with it? Then let me ask you, do you think what happens in Women’s Bible Study stays in Women’s Bible Study?

My answer to you would be yes and no. Yes, because whatever is of a personal nature shared among us as a group would certainly fall into the first category. But also no, in that what we learn is not meant to just stay with us in that room. It is meant to spill over into our everyday lives. What we learn is meant to change us so that Christ might be radically obvious in everything we do.

Last week, I taught about holiness and we defined this rather deep theological term very simply as being 'set apart'. We learned that the purpose of the law as it was given to the Israelite’s while they roamed the desert was to teach them and prepare them for living lives 'set apart' on to God.

Over the last several months God has been encouraging me to live the kind of life that He can pour Himself though. To live a life that one would characterize as 'set apart' for His use. In my pursuit to live the kind of life that is a reflection of His character, I confess, I just got worn out. Has anyone ever got just plain old tired from wanting to do the right thing? That was my estate as I ventured out this past weekend to the Beth Moore Simulcast (we had a blast by the way).

The teaching we were under was based on the law of kindness. Beth pointed out that it was important for us to be purposeful about our level of kindness because we live in a mean world. If we are going to exercise kindness we are going to have to do it with intention. Have you ever tried to walk in the Spirit and exhibit kindness only to be knocked back or misunderstood at every attempt? Have you ever been discouraged to the point where you are worn out from it?

One of the points (there were eight) that she taught was that “kindness wears down when we do”. She pointed out that the surest way that you can know if you are worn out is when you start to exhibit any manner of unhealthy emotions like resentment, hatred or jealousy. The remedy that the word brought us that day is that if you are worn down, quite simply, you need to be built up.

So how do we get built up? Two ways, the first is to know that Jesus is kind to you. She quoted Matthew 11:30 , “my yoke is easy, my burden is light.” The word used in the Greek for 'easy' is the same word translated elsewhere as 'kind'. The yoke Christ has given you is kind. If you are feeling over worked and stressed out maybe you need to wonder if Jesus gave you that yoke or it is one of your own choosing. The second sure fire way to get built up is through other believers. Ephesians 4:12,16,29, speak of building each other up through the body of the church. When we meet and greet each other we want to give and receive all manner of kindnesses.

Are you feeling worn out in your pursuit to live a holy life, then I suggest you take some time apart with Jesus and allow Him to do ministry to your heart. Ask Him to show how kind He is to you and receive it into your spirit. You can’t pour out what you don’t possess. Find a quiet place to think about how much He loves you and allow that love to saturate your inner being.

This morning in getting ready for Women’s Bible Study, I was blowing out my hair and talking to the Lord. When I am finished styling my hair, I like to cover it with hair spray with the highest hold factor available. Today’s case was a number five hold. I just don’t like to have to revisit the process during the day. As I was pressing the button to let out the spray the nozzle got stuck and I couldn’t get it to stop shooting out the sticky stuff. So instead of throwing it in the sink (the smart option), I reacted by running around the bathroom in circles (not the smart option). When I finally loosed the nozzle there was hairspray all over everything. Nothing escaped.

My prayer is that we would be like that hairspray as we go out today. That we would spray kindness wherever our foot lands...and it would stick with a super hold factor of five. Amen?!