Be Ye Kind

This morning I had to go out to my truck to get something and noticed a person walking from my porch back to the street in front of my house. The person was slim and all bundled up - such that I still don't know if this was a man or a woman.

As I armed my truck alarm the person looked up at me and made eye contact so, I waved and the person waved back and hurried on down the street. I would imagine he or she walks every morning and this is just the first time I noticed.

I immediately was suspicious and when I went inside I went to my porch to see what that person was doing there.

There I found my newspaper nestled up against the front door.

Now, I had found the paper there many times but had no idea who had been doing this thing.

Whenever I found my paper there it would remind me of a young lady whose soul I watch over. She would do that on her morning walks when she lived in our little town but she is in New York City now - ministering as she goes in her every day life. Finding those papers on my porch made me feel good to remember her.

I picked up the paper and watched that person walk on down the street....stopping from place to place to pick up someone else's paper and put it on those people's porches.

Such a simple thing....YET, so kind.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

I don't know who that person was - so, I have no idea if he or she is a Christian. BUT, what the person was doing IS kindness which is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

In Galatians 5 the word translated as "kindness" is the Greek word "chrēstotēs". It literally means "usefulness" and often refers to a character trait of moral excellence.

We live in a world FILLED with people who don't care about anyone but themselves.

We Christians have the Holy Spirit of Christ living in us. Our spirit IS His Spirit. Jesus, in great contrast to the world, loves people and cared more about people than He did about Himself.

He is STILL that way, since He never changes.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

I wonder how many times every day He sees opportunities to be kind through us....and we are too busy and task-oriented to see those opportunities and act on them.

I wonder how much the Kingdom of Peace would be advanced in the world around us if we listened to Him and performed these non-random, intentional acts of kindness - expecting nothing in return.

It is my intention to try to listen to His promptings more than I currently do and see what kindnesses come out of Him in me from that.

Paul says in the beginning of Ephesians 4:28 that we are to:

"be ye kind to one another" (KJV)

Let's do that. Let's be kind to our fellow man - no matter what his spiritual situation.

Perhaps he will respond to Jesus in us....and receive Him as Lord.

You never know (but our KING does!)

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

Decatur, TX 76234

© December 9, 2015

(For use with permission)