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MORNING GLORY 02

Good Morning Glory!

The past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about kindness. I recently started teaching kids Sunday School at my church. The lesson I just taught was about King David’s kindness to Jonathan and his son, Mephilboseth. (Try pronouncing Mephilboseth to a bunch of 1st and 2nd graders…ha). The Bible story came from 2 Samuel 9.

“David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. 3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. 7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

I realize there are a lot of big words and unknown names in these verses, especially for a group of elementary school kids (and me). But the message here is simple and translates to every age and language: God’s love is displayed through how we treat others, and kindness is the fruit. It’s the very stuff of grace – something we both give and receive. In other words, kindness counts but doesn’t keep count. It scores big but doesn’t keep score. Even though David was threatened to be killed by Mephibosheth’s grandfather Saul, David’s best friend was Mephibosheth’s father Jonathan. Since Jonathan helped save David’s life, David promised to show kindness to Jonathan’s family. How did David show kindness? When David became king, he invited Mephibosheth to eat dinner with him every night in the palace.

Through David’s kindness towards Mephibosheth, Jesus displays his kindness to us too. Even though we may not deserve it, He invites us to sit at the table with Him. He would rather us come to the table weary, broken, needy, (and maybe without a shower some days if we’re being real here) than to not come at all. In fact, He delights in us coming to Him exactly as we are. By His grace, Jesus’ kindness counts but doesn’t keep count against us. Victory on the cross scores big but doesn’t keep score because it already won.

No matter what you may be facing today, face it with kindness. I’ve heard people say to “kill others with kindness,” but kindness’s end game is not death – it’s life! So instead, remember this: kindness counts but doesn’t keep count. It scores big but doesn’t keep score. With this kingdom mindset, kindness changes the way we see life and love others.

May the dreams you hold dearest,
Be those which come true,
The kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you.

-Old Irish Blessing of Friendship

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