Living-loving like Jesus: Kindness, episode 130

0:00 If you love a prodigal you can discover help and hope for your wilderness journey right here at the when you love a prodigal podcast and also help and hope for your own life journey as I mentioned last week we're starting the new year with a look at what God might want to do in our lives Through this prodigal journey. He's so efficient He uses things for a lot more than we think and If you've been listening to this podcast for very long, you've heard me say That God is just as committed to working in us as he is Working in our prodigals. He cares about our loved ones, but he also cares about us a Primary purpose he has is to make us more and more like Jesus Now I don't know about you, but I know that's been a long journey for me to really become more and more like Jesus And I'm not done And I'm grateful that God has given us a clear picture of what that might look like what he's working toward What we will be like as we become more like Jesus The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 3 Therefore as God's chosen people holy and dearly loved

1:30 close yourselves with compassion kindness humility gentleness and patience Bear with each other and forgive one another if any one of you has a grievance against someone forgive as the Lord forgave you and over all these virtues Put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity Last week we talked about compassion today. We're going to put on kindness Kindness seems all the rage these days at least outside of the political arena Random acts of kindness get designated days or even weeks of intention Videos showing how one kind act leads to another those videos go viral Stories on the goodness of one person that changes the life of another will garner Likes and hearts and shares on social media and The harsh uncertainty of today's violent world They create yearning for safety for peace for harmony We hunger for kindness For every child of God Kindness should be part of our daily wardrobe. It's what we should be wearing

3:01 Colossians 3 12 reminds us therefore as God's chosen people Clothe yourself with kindness We crave stories like the coffee shop workers who sensed a drive-through customer's deep sadness They engaged her in conversation and discovered her husband had died the night before They reached out through the window and and held her and prayed for her We love those stories. Why do we love stories of kindness? Because our creator embedded such a desire in us We are made in his image and kindness is one of his attributes He is kind and he also wants us to be kind Consider these few of many encouragement from the word of God Our God is kind but let the one who boasts boast about this That they have the understanding to know me the Lord that I am the Lord who exercises Kindness justice and righteousness on earth for in these I delight When we let kindness flow through us to others God is delighted. I Love this picture of God's tenderness It says I fed them with cords of human kindness with ties of love to them

4:35 I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek and I bent down to feed them God's saying I just want to care for you. I want to feed you whatever you need He tells us in Jeremiah That being kind is the way to draw us all people to himself He says I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with Unfailing kindness So for us he's drawing us closer to himself and the same will be true for our protocols He will draw them to himself Through our kindness because of his kindness and again he says in Romans 2 Or do you show contempt for the riches of God's kindness his forbearance and patience?

5:35 Not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance Christ is a gift of the father's kind heart In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus and Entitus we read his loving kindness enabled our salvation at one time we too were foolish disobedient Deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures we lived in malice and envy Being hated and hating one another But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared he saved us Not because of righteous things we had done but because of his mercy and kindness So what does kindness look like?

6:35 Each of us can choose to be kind to do good for another to reach out and care when we see a need What might that kindness look like? So many possibilities if we keep our eyes and hearts open Recently at church I held a new mom's tiny baby through the service so she could focus on the message Another friend at church is still trying to discover who left a gift of money for her and her girls last week She is so grateful and wants to say thanks The couple who paid for a teen to go to rehab made a difference in the rest of his life A police officer took off his shoes and gave them to a barefoot homeless man on a cold day I loved when a man got out of his car to direct traffic so a mama duck and her ducklings could cross the street And so many many more You have done them when you see a need as I have and I have received such kind gestures many times But living it out in the rush and busyness of our lives is not easy Nor is practicing kindness with a prodigal who challenges us in many ways and often day after day Our God though has made it possible Kindness is part of the fruit of the spirit

8:09 That Holy Spirit living in us filling us up Gives us all we need to live this impossible lifestyle A life marked by kindness What might kindness look like to our prodigals? Here are a few ideas Give them a ride to an activity important to them even without their having to ask Listen to them whatever they are saying Something good or something you don't agree with Complaints that they have just listen let them talk Involve them in decisions that affect them Like setting boundaries and consequences Praise them when they do something that merits praise Wash their clothes for them when that is their responsibility Invite them to family gatherings even when you think they are not Make sure they know they are welcome Sometimes you might even help them out financially I know some of these might seem inappropriate to you or even outrageous with your prodigal But sometimes we need to do something outrageous to convey kindness when there is real Estrangement from our wanderer but you aren't on your own

9:42 Living and loving like Jesus wearing kindness as a way of life It's possible when we have Jesus in our lives The Holy Spirit lives in us and enables us to do what Jesus would do Kindness becomes a regular part of our wardrobe What about you? When have you been able to do a kind act to your loved one? Or what might you do today or tomorrow? Next week we will look at humility God bless you