part 5 of the “Eyes Up” series
“...where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord....
Psalm 121:1-2 NIV
As we continue in this series of posts, we are to kindness and I believe that this is one of the easiest to see in Jesus and find help.
Jesus didn’t care who it was, what had done, what they were doing, or where they had come from. Jesus was kind - period. Jesus modeled the ultimate kindness. We see this throughout His ministry. Here a few examples:
In John 4, we see Jesus go through Samaria to meet the woman at the well. The woman goes to the well to draw water. She's going at a time when she could be alone and away from people. She has been outcasted by the people of the town because of the mistakes that she has made in the past. So you can imagine her surprise when she gets to the well and finds Jesus sitting there. But she gets something different from Jesus that she had not gotten in a while - kindness, compassion, and love. Jesus does bring forth her mistakes but He does it in a way that wasn't condemning. So because of this she went back into town and most of the town came to see Jesus and this led to a great revival in the town.
In John 8, Jesus is faced with a woman who had been caught in adultery. The Pharisees brought her to Jesus telling Him that she should be stoned for being caught in such an act. But Jesus sides with the woman and tells all who are there to stone her if they are without sin. Everyone leaves and Jesus tells her to go and “sin no more.” Jesus showed her kindness in the face of everyone that wanted to kill her.
In Luke 19, Jesus shows kindness to a “wee little man”. Come on you know the song! Zacchaeus has climbed a tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus. As Jesus passed by the tree Zacchaeus was in - He hollered up a Him to come down because He was coming over. This lead to a revival in Zacchaeus’ house.
There are many more stories in the Bible of how Jesus showed kindness. It was who He was. He came to show kindness. He came to be kind.
So eyes up! Jesus gives us the best example of kindness - ever. If we are to be kind like He was - we need to see how He did it.
Jesus didn’t care that the woman was a Samaritan - a major rival of the Jews - He knew that she needed someone to be kind to her. Jesus didn’t care the woman was caught in adultery - He was just kind to her. Jesus didn’t care that Zacchaeus was a tax collector - known for being a thief - He was just kind to him.
So really I think that Jesus was showing us that we need to be kind to everyone. Period.
But that doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m working on it and the only way I’m getting better is with my eyes up and seeing how Jesus did it.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:32 NIV
Next on the list in the Fruit of the Spirit is goodness.
When you see the word goodness in a list like this you might think that it is because God wants us to show goodness and be good to people. This is absolutely correct. God does want us to be good to people. But what if goodness is something that we need to understand. What if the word goodness in this list is calling us to reflect on God’s goodness in our life so that we can better understand how to good and kind to other people.
God has been very good to me over the last 4 years. God has been faithful in my life. God has brought me through a divorce and was faithfully by side. He never left. I look back and see all of the things that He did during that season of life. The people that He brought into my life to help navigate that season of life. Looking back at it all, I could not have done it without those people that God brought to me. I could not have gotten through it without God by my side with me every step of the way.
I also see the goodness of God when I look at where I am now in life. God has brought me very far over the last 2 years. God brought a wonderful person into my life and she is now my wife. God brought her into my life even though I was not looking for her to be in my life. But God knew that I needed her and that she needed me. So there is a double dose of the goodness of God there! I have 4 wonderful kids that are a part of my life and I get to be a part of theirs. There is a lot more that I could say here, but God is good. He has been good to me in my life. He has been good to my family.
As I am reflecting on God’s goodness - I want to ask you to lift your eyes. Where have you seen God’s goodness in your life? Are you currently experiencing the goodness of God? Take a moment - EYES UP - and reflect on God’s goodness to you. I was reminded of a song while finishing up this post. I want to share with you some of the lyrics:
I love You, Lord
Oh Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah
And all my life You have been faithful, ohh
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah [1]
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[1] “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music
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