SUBJECT: "KINDNESS"
AN ATTRIBUTE OF CHARITY. KINDNESS BEARS THE WEIGHT OF SIN. IT IS LONGSUFFERING AND MANY HAVE COME TO BE SUSPICIOUS OF THOSE WHO ARE KIND, THINKING THAT THEY MUST WANT SOME TYPE OF GRATUITY FOR THEIR KINDNESS. JESUS WAS AND IS KIND. HE ONLY WANTS TO SAVE YOUR SOUL FROM ETERNAL DESTRUCTION. IS THERE SOMEONE WHO NEEDS YOU TO BEAR THEM UP WITH KINDNESS?

The ‘Art of Cooking' has long been an intriguing past time. It is amazing how cabinets can look bare except for a little flour and baking powder, and other things that you wouldn't even consider consumable; and, out of this mishmash an expert can come in and produce food. If you observe carefully, you'll notice that along with the ingredients the expert uses certain equipment. For example: When making pancakes, it would be wise to have a spatula. (This is a flat heat resistant instrument that makes it possible to get UNDERNEATH the food product between the hot pans and flip the food to the side that needs to be near the heat). When cooking pancakes the timing has to be just right. Too much heat can burn the pancake and too little heat results in a gummy uncooked piece of dough which is not palatable.

King David was anointed king of Israel before King Saul was displaced. When reading the Books of Samuel you'll find many of the difficulties involved with King David's anointing. Saul wanted to kill him, but couldn't find him. Saul had a son, Jonathan, who would have been the heir to the throne of King Saul, but GOD changed the normal attainment of the throne to include David.

David was a Shepherd. His job was so seemingly insignificant to his family, that they didn't even consider him; and tried very hard to overlook him when Samuel arrived to anoint ‘one of the brothers' as King. David's ‘OUTWARD APPEARANCE' would dissuade choosing him for anything, but, a shepherd. However, GOD CONFIRMED the APPOINTING AND THE ANOINTING of David as King over Israel.

Jonathan and David swore allegiance to one another. Jonathan had stepped in harm's way several times for his friend, David. Eventually Jonathan and his father, King Saul, died in battle. Jonathan left behind a son, Mephibosheth , who was crippled from an accident during his infancy. He was now hiding in a place named . . .Lo-Debar.

We can assume that King David was building his newly acquired nation when he reminisces and recalls his friendship with Jonathan. It is then that he activates his resources and calls Ziba, the servant to the deceased King Saul. Ziba knows exactly where the grandson of King Saul is hiding. Ziba discloses his information, and King David sends for the grandson –son of King Saul and Jonathan respectively.

Kindness is an _expression of love or charity. King David could only express his love and gratefulness to Jonathan, his dead friend, in being kind to someone that Jonathan loved and cared for in his life time. That someone was Mephibosheth

My testimony: During the time that my Mother died and we were preparing for the funeral arrangements, an old friend came to the house, late. She sat down at the table and continued to ask questions about what she could do to help me. I kept refusing her aid. Then, around 2:00 AM we started cleaning and fixing up everything.

When we finally stopped for an early cup of coffee, I began to cry…And my friend was right there. It was a blessing. GOD knew just what I needed to bring me up above those very present dangers and pit falls of depression and loneliness.

King David used the tools of the kingdom which was the spatula of kindness. He placed the spatula between Mephibosheth and the destruction that should have been eminent; and FLIPPED his situation from living in ‘Lo-Debar' to living in Jerusalem and eating off of the King's table. How do you react to kindness? We live in a society that hasn't been accustomed to showing or accepting ‘kindnesses' from strangers or known relatives and friends. Remember last week's Newsletter? We spoke about "CHARITY." Kindness is a description of charity or love.

The kindness that we have assumed and associated ourselves with is anything that is ‘costly.' The problem with that type of _expression is that you will never finish expressing love. Every time, you must bring a bigger piece of pie. (Gluttony or lust is never satisfied). According to 1Cor.13; Love is patient, longsuffering, kind, and beareth all things.

Jesus tells us to take His yoke; that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Jesus has promised to get underneath our lack, our depression, our insufficiencies, and our inabilities. In loving kindness, from the Cross, He asked His Father to forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. He cared enough to bear our sin and to act as our tool of Salvation, flipping us from sin to righteousness through His name.

Only Jesus could slip between the hot fire and our soul, waiting until we are ‘just right' then speaking the change and flipping us into the newness of a "Born Again" life.

Lord, I thank You for bearing my sin, transgressions and iniquities on Calvary's Cross. I thank You that by Your stripes I am healed and set free. I pray that for everyone who reads this Newsletter, that they will accept You as their personal Lord and Savior. And if they know someone who needs Salvation, that they will introduce them to Our Loving and Kind Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray this prayer in Jesus' Name. AMEN.

"Give your entire attention to what GOD is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. GOD will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes up." (Matthew 6:34; MSG)
From: "A Bend In The Road." By David Jeremiah.
Submitted by: BMCC.

FRIDAY'S WORD: kindness; In the OT the Heb. hesed is used of both man and God. When employed of men it may mean (1) kindness in the sense of doing favors in fulfillment of a pact or of covenant obligations (Gen.20:13; 21:23; Joshua 2:12; 1Sam 20:15; 2 Sam 9:1); (2) mercy or pity extended to needy ones (Job 6:14; Prov 20:28;); (3) affection and covenant loyalty toward God (Jer 2:2); and (4) loveliness ("goodliness." Isa 40:6). When employed of God it is used to describe (1) one of his attributes (Neh 9:17; Joel 2:13), and (2) also His acts of kindness or mercy (Gen 19:19; Ps 31:21; Isa 54:8,10).
Taken from Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia

IN THE MIRROR: And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38. K.J.V).

The year was around 1973. The Movie was called "The Sting," starring Paul Newman, and Robert Redford as I recall. It was about a real con job in which the two got together to con a "mark," who in this picture was a big gambler with lots and lots of money. I found one of the most interesting parts of the movie was how they employed all the right people for the con, and even had successfully created a whole illegal operation in a basement area that would go unchallenged by their unsuspecting mark.
The end result of all their hard work paid off in taking this man for all he had, and after a successful scam comes off all the make-up; the cosmetics; the costumes; and all the walls and equipment dismantled having served the intended purpose for their unwitting prey.

Do you ever think about a "backdrop?" Webster defines it as "a curtain at the back of a stage often painted, and used as part of a scenery." I did a little looking back in history and discovered that many a famous Novelist, Play writers, Poets and Producers depended on the enhancement of the backdrop to illuminate and convey the characters, or the plot, and they were always acutely aware that the backdrop had much to do with the ultimate success ,or failure or their intended portrayal whether on stage, or you're sitting down to a suspenseful and intriguing Novel.

Jesus' words in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John weren't just applicable when they were spoken to the disciples and followers of that day and inapplicable today. If anything we can count on them much more today because all we should need to do is just look around. Do you see anyone living forever in this physical life we now live? This life is surely going to pass on one day.

God knew the necessity in having us understand this foundational principle, because without it we would become a "mark"; victim to only what we find tangible, impressive, and attainable in this life.

Yes, we can ‘win' and win big in this life. But just like the ‘mark' in ‘The Sting', when the final curtain goes down, we'll find out we ‘lost' everything God had for us simply because we trusted in the ‘backdrop' that is so widely and vividly painted in this life; and not after the ‘backdrop' Jesus Christ painted 2000 years ago with His Blood to unequivocally demonstrate there is Eternity waiting for us on the other side, and all for one price, the price of the life that you surrender for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! S.L.C.