February 02, 2023
Daily Devotion:
"Perspective with Kindness"
Zechariah 7:9
This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: "Do what is right and true. Be kind and merciful to each other."
Some religious leaders challenged Jesus with a question about who we should consider as a neighbor. In other words, who was acceptable and who was unacceptable in their highly segregated society?
Jesus gave them an answer, but not to the question they asked. Instead of telling them who their neighbor is, He told them what a good neighbor looks like through the powerful story of the Good Samaritan.
Note, many Jewish leaders of Jesus' day would have nothing to do with Samaritans, so you can imagine how mad they were that Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of the story-and the model for kindness. In taking care of a fellow traveler who had been beaten and robbed, the Samaritan teaches us that- Kindness can be costly- “The next day, the Samaritan brought out two coins, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of this man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again'" (Luke 10:35).
No question, kindness requires effort and sometimes even sacrifice on our part. Kindness can be risky-"Evil people will not learn to do good even if you show them kindness" (Isaiah 26:10). Just as the Samaritan man risked being mugged himself by slowing down to help, at times our kindness will take advantage of. Kindness turns enemies into friends- “The Samaritan Went to him, poured olive oil and wine on his wounds, and bandaged them. Then he put the hurt man on his own donkey and took him to an inn where he cared for him” (Luke 10:34). If this Jew and Samaritan could be united through kindness, what might happen to your relationships as you become a good neighbor?
Kindness saves people's lives- “A smiling king can give people life; his kindness is like a spring shower" (Proverbs16:15). There are teenage girls, divorcees, senior citizens who have all but given up on a good God because of how they've been treated. You can change their perspective with kindness.
