A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. ~Proverbs 11:16-17
A certain Man, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, was surly and mean in his dealings. … When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before him with her face to the ground. “May my Lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men you sent.” David said to Abagail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.” ~1 Samuel 25:2A; 4-5; 23-25; 32-35, (edited).
Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? ~Romans 2:4
The story of Abigail and David found in 1 Samuel 25 does a pretty good job of illustrating our proverbs for today. As David’s son, Solomon probably heard his dad say something like, “Did I ever tell you about Nabal, and how I met my wife Abigail?” Solomon may have been thinking of that famous couple when he penned this proverb! Nabal may have accumulated a lot of wealth, but if Abigail had not acted with such wisdom, humility and kindness toward David, Nabal may have lost it all. And, if you know the story, you know that Abigail’s actions really saved all the men of Nabal’s household, but Nabal himself did lose it all. He was so frightened the next morning when he heard about what might have happened that he collapsed and died ten days later.
That’s the thing about wealth and possessions, they can be gained through greed and selfishness, but they can also be lost quickly. That is because what is being gained is external. Kindness, however, is a reputation, not a possession. The kind person may be lied about and slandered, but in the end, the kind heart will shine through.
“A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.” The kind person doesn’t set out to benefit him or herself. The benefit is a byproduct of kindness. They are pleasant to be with and well trusted by others. The relationships are genuine and sincere.
The cruel or ruthless man is the one that loses in the end. While he or she is working to accumulate wealth, fame and power, they are also gaining a reputation in character. They can appear popular, but in reality, they are often surrounded more by those who are afraid, or those who are looking for an opportunity to play “King of the Mountain,” and take their place using the same strategies.
I’m reminded of the fable about the sun and the wind that decided to have a contest to show which was more powerful. They focused on a man walking down the road. They each tried to use their powers of persuasion to get the man to take off his coat. The wind blew harder and harder, which only forced the man to button up his coat and hug himself more securely. The sun, on the other hand, used warmth and, just like us in Springtime, the coat came all the way off. Of course, the moral of the fable is, “love is greater than force.” Which, when you think of it, is Solomon’s main point as well.
This is why God chooses to use kindness in His persuasion of us sinners to lead us to repentance. He has every right to stand over us and charge us with every single one of the sins of which we are guilty. After all, our sin has helped satan to do even more damage to the amazing creation that God intended. He has every right to be angry, not because He is ruthless and evil, but because we have helped destroy His beautiful, perfect work. Compared to God, we’re the ones who are ruthless and evil.
Our sin is kind of like continuing to scribble with a black crayon over an art masterpiece. Yet, God, the artist, comes to us with kindness and gentleness, to woo us to Him, the way we might coax a stray dog or cat to trust us for food and shelter. We don’t deserve His kindness, but He offers it anyway because relationship with Him is so important. It is His kindness that brings us to our knees. It shows us our unworthiness, His amazing grace and our need of Him for everything.
When we show kindness to others, we are reflecting the kindness we have been shown through Christ. It is through kindness that we will attract others and build trust, for eternity, building the Kingdom in Him.
Prayer: Thank you Father for Your great kindness that leads me to repentance! And thank you for Your Spirit in me that enables me, as one of God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. With these virtues in place, use me Lord, to share the gospel with others so that they see how much You love them too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Show a Little Bit of Love and Kindness
(I could not find a video with the words! So):
Sing a song, Sing a song; Spread some cheer, Spread some cheer
There are sad and lonely faces every where...
Be a friend, Be a friend; Show some love, Show some love
It will lift them from the dungeons of despair.
Show a little bit of love and kindness,
Never go around with hatred's blindness
Take a little time to reach for joy and wear a happy face...
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Offer little help to a friend who's weary
That's the way to make the world a happy place.
Sing a song, Sing a song; Spread some cheer, Spread some cheer
There are sad and lonely faces every where...
Offer help, Offer help; Bring some hope, Bring some hope
To the weakened and discouraged on life's road...
Show a little bit of love and kindness,
Never go around with hatred's blindness
Take a little time to reach for joy and wear a happy face...
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Offer little help to a friend who's weary
That's the way to make the world a happy place.
A certain Man, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, was surly and mean in his dealings. … When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before him with her face to the ground. “May my Lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men you sent.” David said to Abagail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.” ~1 Samuel 25:2A; 4-5; 23-25; 32-35, (edited).
Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? ~Romans 2:4
The story of Abigail and David found in 1 Samuel 25 does a pretty good job of illustrating our proverbs for today. As David’s son, Solomon probably heard his dad say something like, “Did I ever tell you about Nabal, and how I met my wife Abigail?” Solomon may have been thinking of that famous couple when he penned this proverb! Nabal may have accumulated a lot of wealth, but if Abigail had not acted with such wisdom, humility and kindness toward David, Nabal may have lost it all. And, if you know the story, you know that Abigail’s actions really saved all the men of Nabal’s household, but Nabal himself did lose it all. He was so frightened the next morning when he heard about what might have happened that he collapsed and died ten days later.
That’s the thing about wealth and possessions, they can be gained through greed and selfishness, but they can also be lost quickly. That is because what is being gained is external. Kindness, however, is a reputation, not a possession. The kind person may be lied about and slandered, but in the end, the kind heart will shine through.
“A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.” The kind person doesn’t set out to benefit him or herself. The benefit is a byproduct of kindness. They are pleasant to be with and well trusted by others. The relationships are genuine and sincere.
The cruel or ruthless man is the one that loses in the end. While he or she is working to accumulate wealth, fame and power, they are also gaining a reputation in character. They can appear popular, but in reality, they are often surrounded more by those who are afraid, or those who are looking for an opportunity to play “King of the Mountain,” and take their place using the same strategies.
I’m reminded of the fable about the sun and the wind that decided to have a contest to show which was more powerful. They focused on a man walking down the road. They each tried to use their powers of persuasion to get the man to take off his coat. The wind blew harder and harder, which only forced the man to button up his coat and hug himself more securely. The sun, on the other hand, used warmth and, just like us in Springtime, the coat came all the way off. Of course, the moral of the fable is, “love is greater than force.” Which, when you think of it, is Solomon’s main point as well.
This is why God chooses to use kindness in His persuasion of us sinners to lead us to repentance. He has every right to stand over us and charge us with every single one of the sins of which we are guilty. After all, our sin has helped satan to do even more damage to the amazing creation that God intended. He has every right to be angry, not because He is ruthless and evil, but because we have helped destroy His beautiful, perfect work. Compared to God, we’re the ones who are ruthless and evil.
Our sin is kind of like continuing to scribble with a black crayon over an art masterpiece. Yet, God, the artist, comes to us with kindness and gentleness, to woo us to Him, the way we might coax a stray dog or cat to trust us for food and shelter. We don’t deserve His kindness, but He offers it anyway because relationship with Him is so important. It is His kindness that brings us to our knees. It shows us our unworthiness, His amazing grace and our need of Him for everything.
When we show kindness to others, we are reflecting the kindness we have been shown through Christ. It is through kindness that we will attract others and build trust, for eternity, building the Kingdom in Him.
Prayer: Thank you Father for Your great kindness that leads me to repentance! And thank you for Your Spirit in me that enables me, as one of God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. With these virtues in place, use me Lord, to share the gospel with others so that they see how much You love them too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Show a Little Bit of Love and Kindness
(I could not find a video with the words! So):
Sing a song, Sing a song; Spread some cheer, Spread some cheer
There are sad and lonely faces every where...
Be a friend, Be a friend; Show some love, Show some love
It will lift them from the dungeons of despair.
Show a little bit of love and kindness,
Never go around with hatred's blindness
Take a little time to reach for joy and wear a happy face...
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Offer little help to a friend who's weary
That's the way to make the world a happy place.
Sing a song, Sing a song; Spread some cheer, Spread some cheer
There are sad and lonely faces every where...
Offer help, Offer help; Bring some hope, Bring some hope
To the weakened and discouraged on life's road...
Show a little bit of love and kindness,
Never go around with hatred's blindness
Take a little time to reach for joy and wear a happy face...
Sing a little bit when the days are dreary,
Offer little help to a friend who's weary
That's the way to make the world a happy place.
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