Kill Them With Kindness

Last a week a man chased a robber out of his house with an ax. After running a few blocks he caught up with a man who he thought was the robber and brutally killed him. The problem was, it wasn’t even the right man, and the man that was killed had car trouble and was walking to a gas station for help. We live in a world that loves revenge, we see it movies, books, TV, and in the news. Revenge is in. Most revenge stories both in the Bible and in the 21st Century happen within families, marriages, friends and neighbors. When we participate in revenge, we destroy the relationships that matter most to us. Paul said in Romans 12 …

“17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19 NIV

When we carry out revenge it weakens our faith because we are trying to take God’s place in the business of vengeance. Revenge not only divides us from each other, it separates us from God. Not only that, we often don’t even it get right when we carry it out; we either hurt the wrong people, or the justice we seek is unfair. However if you have been wronged it doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. In fact God expects us to do something about it; just not in the way the world would go about it. Let’s read a little bit more of Romans 12.

“20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:20-21 NIV

You have heard the term, “kill them with kindness”. Paul speaks of that strategy here in v.20. When we do kind things for people who hurt us, we obviously don’t want to hurt or kill them, but we want to kill the hate, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings that we have in the relationship. We kill anger with love and kindness. We kill bitterness and jealousy with mercy and humility. Through kindness and love we can save marriages, friendships, churches, businesses, schools, and nations. Here is a good definition of kindness, it is learning to treat others the way God has treated you.

Friendly or Connected

I have over 400 friends on Facebook, and most of them I never talk to, see, or hear from. They are the ideal when it comes to low maintenance friendships. I’m concerned that the modern world has forgotten what friendship really is. In the movie Tombstone, someone asked Doc Holliday why he was always risking his life for Wyatt Earp; Doc Holliday said “because Wyatt Earp is my friend”. The man asking the question then said, “well I have a lot of friends” saying it in a trivial way. Doc Holliday said “I don’t”. Maybe we have trivialized what relationships are? I am a time share owner. Last year I got a letter in the mail saying “thank you for being part of the Interval family”. They call me family, but I don’t know them, they don’t know me. Maybe we have trivialized what family is. When it comes to church, what does it mean to be a member? I know that God adds us to the church when we are baptized, but what does it mean to be part of a congregation, to be part of a church family? If we are not careful, church rolls can look like a Facebook page, where we have lots of friends but no connections. There is not one place in the Bible that tells us that we need to be a friendly church, but there are many places that say we need to be a connected church. That is what I think Paul was talking about in Romans 1:11-12 when he said “ 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:11-12 NIV. Paul is saying here, I want to be with you; I want to be with my family. That kind of passion for each other is hard to find. The question should not be “are we a friendly church?” There answer there is yes, we are friendly. The truth is, I’m friendly at Kroger, at Walmart, and at football games, but friendly doesn’t build relationships. The real question should be, do people need each other here, do they connect here, do they trust, love, and help each other? Paul says I want to build you up, that we can be mutually encouraged. Some scholars say Paul is just being humble, but what if Paul is not just flattering these people, what if he is telling the truth? Paul needed these people just as much as they needed him. Strong spiritual relationships go further than friendliness, they require investment and a mutual level of appreciation and honesty. God is in the saving people and changing lives business, He invites His church to be part of that mission. The way we do that is to go beyond friendliness; so that we can strive for connectedness.

Prayer guide / Relationships

All in the name of Jesus!

Prayer guide / Relationships

Get r Done! Fall 2010

MORNING PRAYER: Think about the talents and gifts God has blessed you with.  Read Romans 12:1-8.  Ask God to help you develop and use those gifts today to bring Him honor & glory.

Prayer: Father I want your will to guide and transform me today.  Help me to love people the way you love them, give me the vision to see the needs of others, and the desire to use my gifts to help them.  I pray that your grace will continue to work powerfully in my life.  Help my family & I to invest our lives in the WHCOC family.  Teach and mold me into the person you want me to be.  AMEN

NOON PRAYER:   “3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:3-5 NIV

Prayer: Father, for the good things that have happened today I praise you, as for the trials and temptations I have encountered I hand them over to you.  Help me to love the people around me, help me to be like Jesus to them. May you be glorified in each moment of my day.  Show me who I need to serve and share the story of Jesus with.  AMEN

EVENING PRAYER: In the evening we reflect on the events of the day.  It is a time we can ask important questions, repent for sins, and praise God for victories.  READ Romans 12:9-21

Prayer: Father, thank you for your guidance, your grace, and your love.  Forgive me when I was selfish or proud.  Transform my heart, help me to be more like your son each day.  Guide my children & spouse to walk with you.  Thank you for the salvation and love that you offer.  Be with my WHCoC family, transform us into a church the loves you and each other.  AMEN

Worship Never Stops

In Acts chapter 17 the Apostle Paul spoke to the people of Athens, declaring to them that the true God does not live in temples made by man, that He is not limited to objects, buildings, or anything else man could build with his hands. Paul went on to say that God is never far from us, that He is there with them ready to be worshipped and glorified in their lives.  I don’t think Paul was just saying that just to the Athenians, I think he was also talking to me, reminding me that God is at work wherever I am, waiting for me to acknowledge His presence, and to join Him in whatever He is doing. Worship is an activity in which we connect with God, submitting to His will.
Worship isn’t just something that happens in a church building, worship can happen anywhere. It can happen at home, at work, or even in the car. Read what Paul says about worship in Romans 12.

“1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2 NIV
True worship comes from people who have been transformed by the grace and love of God. Transformed people worship with honesty, mercy, integrity, and with a desire to give their best. There is not a lot of Bible that says what we are to do in a church building, but there is a whole lot of Bible that says how we are to worship out in the world. Worship never stops, because true love never ends. When do we stop loving our children, when do we stop loving our spouse? We never stop; we would never want to. In the same way, we are called to love and worship God every moment of life; living transformed lives giving Him our best in all that we do.