FRIDAY July 12, 2019
The Kindness of the Lord
“And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the Lord require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”
1 Samuel 20:14-16
Jonathan, in making a covenant with David, still recognized that David would be the next King of Israel. Jonathan was in tune with the Lord and knew to take a step backwards––he would not be King. Together Jonathan and David made a covenant for the future. When David became King of Israel, there was to remain a favorable kindness between their families.
Jonathan was not after position, but peace between the two families. As a true leader, Jonathan revealed his heart to David. They had a true love and showed kindness in a sincere bond of peace. I like that!
Kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). The Apostle Paul, among other things, reminded Christians to be kind: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).
God is so kind to us. His kindness leads us to repentance and salvation in Jesus Christ (Romans 2:4). Let us as Christians show God’s kindness to all those around us.
Kindness always brings its own reward. The kind person will seldom be without friends.
~J. C. Ryle~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!