Bible Reading: Jonah 4
Key Verse: Verse 2 – “And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.”
Key Words: slow to anger, and of great kindness
Kindness is a character trait of God’s. As a matter of fact, kindness is one of the characteristics that causes us to see the grace of God (Ephesians 6:7).
It’s hard to reject kindness. Kindness is a gentle way of breaking a hard heart.
In Les Miserables, Victor Hugo tells the story of Jean Valjean. His only crime was the theft of a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving children. After serving nineteen years for his crime, he was released. Unable to find work because he had been a convict, he came to the home of a Christian bishop who kindly gave him supper and a place to sleep. Yielding to temptation, however, Valjean stole the bishop’s silver plates and slipped out into the night. But he was apprehended and brought back to the scene of the crime. The kind bishop did not want to prosecute the man. Deciding to try to win him to the Lord instead, he told the officers he wanted Valjean to have the silver plates. Turning to the culprit, he said, “And Jean, you forgot to take the candlesticks.” The criminal was astounded and the kindness later resulted in his conversion. This brought a deep sense of joy to the compassionate bishop.
Remember, if you want others to see Jesus in you, try showing a lot of kindness.
What to do:
✞ Remember, one of the most difficult things to give away is kindness – it’s usually returned.
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