Thursday, December 05, 2019

December 5, 2019 … Godly Kindness

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 339 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from the group Hillsong singing … Thank You … poignantly thanking God in song for His kindness, mercy, love, and grace.

Kindly stranger helping a distressed mom 

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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Samuel 9:1 [ESV] ... 1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?”  
… David, remembering the kindness and grace extended by Saul’s son, Jonathan, seaches to extend that Godly kindness to Saul’s family.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Samuel 9:1-11 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… David shows kindness to Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth.
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Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… As God’s mercies and kindness are new everyday to us, why don’t we show that kindness to someone today - and tomorrow.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:9-10 [NLT] … 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. 
 … God, thru Paul, exhorts fellow Christians to reach out intentionally and continually to help others with Christlike kindness.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-4 [ESV] … 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 
… God, thru Paul, shows us that we are to reach out - beyond our human nature - and show Godly kindness in helping others as Christ has helped us.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Winn Collier, uses a historical story of a wild fire in CA in 2018 to show the futility of self condemnation. … The ODB author wrote: Boarding a plane alone with her children, a young mom tried desperately to calm her three-year-old daughter who began kicking and crying. Then her hungry four-month-old son also began to wail. 
A traveler seated next to her quickly offered to hold the baby while Jessica got her daughter buckled in. [see photo] Then the traveler—recalling his own days as a young dad—began coloring with the toddler while Jessica fed her infant. And on the next connecting flight, the same man offered to assist again if needed. 
Jessica recalled, “I [was] blown away by God’s hand in this. [We] could have been placed next to anyone, but we were seated next to one of the nicest men I have ever met.” 

Reaching out intentionally to help others in distress goes beyond human nature, doesn’t it; because - by nature - we look to protect or serve ourselves first, don’t we? That man on the plane was a “God send” for that mother, wasn’t he?

And that’s what King David became for the grandson of King Saul too. In that story (see highlight passage), David, remembering the love/grace extended to him by Saul’s son, Jonathan, decided to reach out and extend Godly kindness to Saul’s family rather than exterminate them as was the kingly tradition of those days. And David’s act of kindness to Mephibosheth became an example of Godly kindness for all to see and emulate.

And I pray that we thank God today for HIS kindness, sending HIs Son to save us, by reaching out with intentional kindness to others today, especially those in God’s family (see reference scriptures above).

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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for Your kindness in sending Your Son to save us.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to reach out and extend Godly kindness to others as God gives us opportunity today. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>

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