Genesis 49:18 I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him: fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, and making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Hebrews 3:14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 12:2 . . . looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Last week, I wrote about perseverance. It is something I wonder about often. Some Jewish people are still awaiting the Messiah. I have a difficult time with this as it is like Waterford Crystal clear to me that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, and it was about 4500 years after God created Adam and Eve. God created the world, the first humans, and then watched as sin took hold and progressed like mold in a damp dark area.
God decided to end the world as it was full of sin, so directed Noah to build an ark and gather animals of male and female sex, and to pass the word that God was going to send rain, and rain and more rain, so they should come to the ark and be saved. But those people laughed and jeered at Noah, and then died in the floods, as did all the other animals, except those he had obediently gathered on the ark. This was about 1656 years after Creation.
Then, Noah’s family began to populate the world again. Some were good and obedient. God chose Abraham to be the Father of the nations—all chosen people would descend from him. It was about 422 years from the flood to Abraham. As an elderly man, Abraham fathered a son, Isaac, and Isaac fathered twin sons.
One of which, Jacob, then had 12 sons from four different women, and at least one daughter. One of his sons, his favored, Joseph, was sold into slavery with a Midianite caravan and ended in Egypt. Joseph, after many hardships including prison, was then chosen by God’s design to be wise and rose to serve pharaoh. Knowing food supplies would be limited, he started gathering and saving food in storage facilities to help feed the people during a prolonged famine.
Joseph believed in God, and faithfully sought Him. When his family came seeking food, he gave it, then had his family moved to Egypt. The Israelites, started by the 70 relatives of Joseph, thrived, prospered, and multiplied, and then because of fear, the Egyptian government started enslaving them. Joseph and all he had done for the country of Egypt, forgotten.
God then chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to a Promised Land He would show them.
Through the enslavement in Egypt to Moses freeing the Israelites, then to the time of the judges to the years of the kings and finally be captive and enslaved to first the Assyrians, then the Babylonians captivity was another 70 years and is about 4775 from creation to the birth of Jesus.
Yet, the Israelites knew there was a Messiah coming. They had waited about 4000 years after the flood. Because selfishness and self-centeredness is such a primary compunction of humans, there was sin. Not everyone heard from the Creator, but many did. God chose many to be prophets, some to be judges, but all to tell the people to return to obedience and honor Him alone.
But the people demanded a king so they could be like other nations. They were invaded by the Assyrians, then later by the Babylonians then were allowed to return to Israel and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. This was now about 520 years before the Messiah would be born.
Things got complicated when the Messiah did not come, the Priests and Levites assumed they were better than the average person—after all their tribe (Levi) was chosen by God to be His special entourage—to lead, to guide those persons to offering sin sacrifices, to make atonement for the sins of all people. But it led these priests to believe they were in a more powerful and closer position to God. They started adding laws and heavy taxes to their own people, inventing rules God had not given, and making things much more difficult to follow than God had designed. God wanted rules to keep people safe, protect them from various illnesses and so forth. The priests just wanted to usurp authority.
After about 4800 years after creation, the Messiah came to a young couple, fathered by the Holy Spirit. His birth had been predicted by many different prophets, and each of the predictions has been accurate. But who’d have thought it was an innocent babe forced to spend his first few hours in a manger, in a stable—with little protection or privacy.
So, except for very few people—his mother, ‘his human father’, an elderly woman named Anna, and an elderly man, named Simeon who worked at the temple, none knew the Messiah had been born. Both these elderly people had been reassured by God (as they were devout believers who persevered in their faith, they would see the Messiah before they died.) And, because of God’s knowing how devout they were, He rewarded their perseverance.
God had shared the bright star and led both the poor shepherds and some wise men to the area, but those were all who were made aware the Savior had come.
Most of the folks who had heard the prophets’ writings in the scrolls for years did not know or recognize, this young man from Galilee as the long-awaited Savior promised throughout Scripture. Once He made His ministry known, a few came to follow. But belief spread, with the miracles, His healing, with His manner and love and acceptance of all. It was the common man who yearned to spend more time with Him, while the religious leaders feared His power and the loss of their authority and privileges. These religious men were unable to recognize the very one the prophets had told them of for centuries. And after all, his own siblings did not see him as anything special. They chided and goaded him.
But since we have the entire Bible, we can read all the of the predictions and promises from prophets in the Old Testament. The New Testament records the life, sayings, and actions of Jesus. We KNOW He came, He lived, He died, and He rose and ascended to the right side of the throne of God. For me, I find it easier to persevere knowing all the promises and the sacrifice He gave for all of us who believe. But I think I would have found it difficult to persevere and keep the faith during OT times.
What does it mean to wait expectantly? “It means we don’t fret or wait fearfully. We wait, expecting God to engage in our world while faith fills our soul with expectation.” Dec 5, 2018, Wisdomhunters.com
So many persevere during their struggles—living enslaved, for example. I saw and went through Dachau Prison and “Work” camp several times when I lived in Germany. It was NOT a pleasant trip; it certainly was not a pleasant place to be held behind barbed wire fences and held in cold cement barracks. It was graphic. My point is I doubt I would have survived—been able to persevere—if I had been rounded up, separated from family and children, forced to live in such degrading circumstances. How does one maintain hope? Frequently, the prisoners had to watch as their friends, family, children were marched to the cement box where the gases were infused.
Since my walk with the Lord has deepened, I find it easier to wait. My patience has improved, many things I wait for, I can shrug off with the thought that it’ll happen when it happens IF it is God’s will. I am more accepting of God’s timing than I used to be. My patience has deepened, and I trust in Him. Satan may tease and whisper how my wait will never be over, it is just not going to happen. . .but I have read the Book. I trust Jeremiah 29:11, and I will wait hopefully for the promises. But persevering in difficult prison-like conditions. . .I am not sure I could do that and come out on the other side.
I think it somewhat easier to persevere with the new covenant. The death of Jesus, the Messiah, resulting in the removal of sins for all who believe in Him.
Having the entire bible—Old Testament, and the New Testament—all proving what was promised, sin would be punished for a time, until repentance, which happened repeatedly to the Israelites. A Savior would come and set us free. We have the New Testament showing what Jesus said, where He walked, what He did, how He loved, then how He went to His death, like a Lamb, silent and without malice because only He knew that His sacrifice would save the world—or at least all those who believed in Him, waited and persevered for Him, repented and lived to please Him.
Father, I am so glad of Your design to give us a way to receive forgiveness and atonement for our many sins by having Your Son, Jesus, be the final blood sacrifice for me. Thank You for all You have done for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Genesis 6:11-9:19 Noah
Genesis 37-50 Joseph
Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers Moses
Ruth Ruth
1 Samuel-1 Kings 2 David
Job Job
Matthew 24:13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Romans 5:3-5 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces home, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayers
2 Corinthians 16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Philippians 3:12, 14 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus made me his own. . . I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 6:15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
James 5:11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
There are so many persons from the Bible who persevered waiting for something God had promised them. Noah waited and persevered in building a huge ark—with none of the power tools available to the 21st century. So, he and his sons manually cut trees, molded them to the size they wanted and needed and then attached one board to another—again, without any power tools—just good old-fashioned forming of wooden spike nails and pitch. But they worked to God’s specifications to build the ark, then while neighbors and others laughed and ridiculed, Noah called pairs of animals into the ark, cordoned them in their specific areas, gathered food supplies, water, and waited for God to send the rain. And send the rain He did. But Noah had persevered, ignoring the jibes, and just continued warning his neighbors of the impending flood and getting right with God before the rains came.
Job was a wealthy man who suddenly lost everything—his wealth, his property, all ten of his children, and then he was stricken with a severe, debilitating illness, full of sores, open wounds, lying in filth, and uncared for by his wife. Did they share in grief over the deaths of all their children? But God’s Word tells the story of Job’s faithfulness and perseverance to determine why he is ill, and what purpose God has for this. He persevered in claiming his innocence—not condemning God, blaming God, but suffering with the wounds, the stench, the debilitation, and wasting away, but proclaiming he never blamed God; he persevered in his illness without striking out in anger and blame.
Abraham was told when he was 75 that he would have a son and become the Father of many nations. Sara wanted to believe, but doubted—and after all, she was an old woman, how could she bring forth a child at her age, and him at his age? But she waited—for a while, then urged Abraham to sleep with her maid, Hagar. But Abraham did not doubt God. He caved against his wife’s nattering and verbal battering, but he held fast to God’s promise. He persevered, believing that God would bring about His promise. And in His time, Isaac was born to Abraham and his wife, Sarah.
Joseph, Abraham’s great grandson, had ten half brothers whom he alienated by bragging about dreams he had had where he was higher in power than they, and because he was his father’s favorite son, the brothers were all jealous and conspired to get rid of him and sell him to some Midianites. He was sent to Egypt and placed in the home of the ruler as a slave. However, the ruler’s wife desired Joseph and after many attempts to get his interest, she grabbed at his clothing, and he ran from the house. He was thrown in jail for his honorable actions. Two years later, he interpreted dreams of two of the other prisoners—and they came true. A few years after that, when the pharaoh had a disturbing dream, the released man remembered the prisoner who had interrupted his dream. Finally, after Joseph had persevered being an honorable man despite his circumstances, he was able to interpret the dream of the pharaoh and was elevated to a position of highness in the government. Joseph began preparing a storage system of keeping foods and grains since there was a famine going to happen. Joseph persevered and prepared.
Four hundred years after Joseph, the Israelites were still enslaved in Egypt when God raised Moses and told him to return to Egypt and go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. Once, Moses had all his arguments shattered by God, he went. He persevered asking Pharaoh to release the Israelites, and if he did not release them, Moses would tell them God would punish. Moses persevered each time God told him to return to Pharaoh with a new demand. I wonder how long a time this was. But for being shy, with low self esteem and doubting one’s ability at speech, Moses persevered in demanding the release of his people. Finally, Pharaoh caved and told the Israelites to “GO! LEAVE!”
But that was only a small portion of Moses’ perseverance. He took millions of people out in the desert, let alone the numbers of animals that traveled with them. But in a temper, Moses disobeyed God, striking a rock twice to get water, while God’s command had been to hit it once. Moses then persevered, leading the people and not delivering them to the Promised Land, only being allowed to see the land, for 40 years! Forty years he led them through the wilderness while they grumbled, complained, and sinned. But he did as God commanded—he persevered following God’s commands.
Ruth was a Moabite woman who married an Israeli man when the family moved to Moab during a famine. She was unfamiliar with many Jewish customs, but when her husband and the other males in the family died, she chose to go with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to return to Bethlehem in Jerusalem. Ruth willingly went to work gathering grain from fields to help feed her mother-in-law and herself. She persevered in helping Naomi, although unfamiliar with the area, with many customs, but she stood out as being selfless and persevering. She came under the protection of Boaz, and later she was part of the lineage of Jesus, being King David’s great grandmother.
David was about 18 years old when he killed Goliath and shortly after that, Samuel said Saul would be succeeded as king by David. David waited about 13 years, mostly living in the wilderness fighting and protecting people in the area while he waited, continually moving to escape Saul while he chased David. Then he was awarded kingship. But he believed in God and persevered in believing God’s word and promises. He did nothing to gain the kingdom before God’s time.
And although all of the apostles who lived after the death of Jesus persevered in spreading the Truth, and the Way and persevered in leading others to the Truth. They persevered in leading others to Christ and how His death was to free from the rules and laws of the OT. They continued to spread the stories of who Jesus was, the fact He rose from the dead, and He did all this to free us from sin, to become our Atonement for ALL of our sins. They each persevered to their death, their being martyred.
Paul was not an original apostle. In fact, he persevered in the persecution of those who chose to follow the Way, to claim Jesus as Messiah. He was responsible for several deaths and imprisonments. He was a devout rule follower, and anyone who did not follow the rules, he found fault with; and with those who chose to follow the Way, he persevered in punishing them.
When he had a meeting with Jesus—struck blind and told he was persecuting Him (Jesus). He was then commanded to tell the Gentiles about Jesus. He persevered in the study of the three years of Jesus’ ministry. He did a complete about face because he believed after ‘meeting’ Jesus and becoming blind. Then he persevered in leading all he met to Jesus and the sacrifice and reason for Jesus coming and the fact He was the atoning sacrifice for all. There is NO question that Paul persevered in spreading the Good News of Jesus to all he came across. Through beatings, whippings, boat wrecks, distain, and so forth, Paul continued to spread the wonderful news of Jesus to all. He wanted all to choose to believe and not risk dying and spending eternity in hell. He wanted all to know Jesus and be saved. Paul persevered and I am sure got his reward.
Lord, you have shown me perseverance with all these people–regular, normal persons like me. Yet, they continued to serve and worship You during difficult times. I want to have that courage and perseverance also. Thank You for loving and guiding me, improving me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Judgmental, cursing, gossiping
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 16:24 Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 17:27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who was a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Proverbs 18:21-23 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Proverbs 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Colossians 3:8-9 But now you must put them all away; anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers; let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
James 3:5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.
Did you ever taunt out “Nahnahnahnahnahnah. . . Stick and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me.”? You would shout this saying, with all the bravado of your young age to sound fearless in front of your other friends. And for a short time, you may have even believed it. But words do stick, and they can hurt. They can also praise, build one up, encourage, and heal. They can be fairly innocent, but it’s the wrong tone, or just not quite the right word, and something lacking so the receiver may still not be filled with the true meaning meant. One’s intentions may be positive, but the receiver hears something else that was not meant.
Hateful words, anger, insults, name calling tear down and demoralize and do severe, sometimes lasting, damage to a person. They can have lasting negative effects–one may be left with low self esteem, feelings of failure and no desire to try because you believe that you can not achieve anything worthwhile. The damage spoken from battering words can send one down into a life of regret, pain, drugs, addictive behaviors, being filled with anger and striking out at others regularly, cursing, being judgmental and negative at all times. And oftentimes, the negative banter continues in your own mind–no one else saying the negative things you are still hearing. Words are powerful and they come from a mouth, tongue, heart and mind, and can do such severe damage it feels as though it is irreparable. Even if you no longer hear the angry or hateful words from others–Satan continues to whisper how unsuccessful and repugnant you are.
But once a person is directed toward the Lord, and chooses to probe further, to tentatively seek Him, His words can change one’s life. It is not always immediate. God likes walking with everyone who chooses to walk with Him. And He will guide and help you each step of the way. God can and does heal hearts damaged by angry, unkind, impatient, denigrating words.
In anger, we can spew awful words which we feel are deserved or we have the right to vomit them on someone else. But after the moments of anger pass, do we assume we have done no lasting damage? Do we try to apologize and explain? Do we try to brush it aside, not being addressed directly, and hope the other person is able to forgive and forget? Do we TRULY believe our anger and ferocious words do not need to be acknowledged–and apologized for? It is time to hit our knees and confess and ask Jesus and the Holy Spirit to correct the mouth BEFORE the next utterance. But we need to apologize to the person(s) and to our Lord and Savior.
Words can certainly hurt parents when we scream hateful, angry, spoiled words; parents can also hurt children when they declare they are not good enough, they will never amount to anything, they are not smart enough, they are trouble, they act bratty and not well behaved ever, they are always a problem in the parent’s life. . . These disgusting, hurtful words create negative feelings that can last a lifetime and can affect one’s entire outlook on their life. The scars from words can last a lifetime–leaving one to wonder if they will ever be worth anything to anyone. They can kill the spirit, the precious soul and person God created. He loves each of us and He is so grieved when we are hurt and broken.
God wants only honorable, respectful and loving words to come forth. It is disrespectful to curse and judge, scream and denigrate another. It is dishonorable and sinful to gossip about others, to talk or wonder about what another is going through without at least praying about the situation. We are created in God’s image and God loves all. God created us in His image, but He also gave us the ability to make choices. To have the gift of choice, we can choose to be loving, kind and gracious with our words, or we can make huge mistakes, to choose to be unkind, harsh, unloving, and negative toward others.
It becomes easy to gossip about another–and in my opinion, women are the WORST at gossiping. Women, often times out of concern, but still under the umbrella of gossiping, may speak of others and wonder if something is ‘off’ and if they’re going through a difficult time. That’s spreading supposition and is perhaps adding to a problem. We should be seeking how we might help, even if just to listen and offer a prayer and hug. And for sure, add the issue to our prayer list. It is gossiping to spread questions, concerns, theories, or whatever, in the guise of concern sometimes.
But God wants to see us treat one another with kindness and love–not gossip and conjecture that may cause hurt. Anger, hurtful words, churlishness all causes damage to others, to your relationship with God–and when they are uttered, you need to confess them. God wants us to recognize the damage words, and the manner they are spoken in can hurt another, but because of sin, also hurts ourselves.
Impatience, anger, spoiled-behaviors, selfishness, stress, and so many other reasons may have one striking out with words. Sometimes, there are feelings of guilt, but oftentimes, we feel we do not have to make a bigger deal of the words our mouths have spewed. So often the abuser never apologizes, never admits to anger that was uncontrolled and had him/her screeching things they never meant and DO NOT BELIEVE, but the wounds created can last a lifetime. The damage can magnify.
But once we find Jesus and learn the love of God, His Son and the Holy Spirit, our words need to change. We need to be made more aware of the damage, the hurt, the deterioration of those around us, and the deterioration of those who speak the words. Hateful words and thoughts are destructive to ourselves, to others and they are a sin to God Himself. A Sin. Jesus came to free of us of sin, but if our mouth continues to speak crap–gossip, cursing, judgmental ideas, denigrating others, finding fault. speaking in anger, saying hateful thoughts, and words, and holding onto hurtful ideas. This is a sin that comes out of the same mouth that praises our God who created the world and had designed His Son to come and take the atonement of sin for any who believe in Him. How can we use the same mouth to worship, and then cursing, uttering anger and hateful words? We need to be so aware of how hurtful our words can be. These are sins that hurt Him.
So what comes out of your mouth? Is it always loving, kind, encouraging and praising others and especially praising God? Always?
Lord, thank You for blatantly reminding me to not be callous with what comes out of my mouth. Let it always be praiseworthy to You and to others. I am so, so sorry for the number of times my mouth has, even in a jesting manner, said something crass, nasty, sinful, hateful or angry. I am so, so sorry. Keep the Holy Spirit correcting me if my mouth runs rampant with icky things. Thank You, my Lord, for reminding me of the ways I sin, and the blessing I have to confess and repent for the many things and times I sin. Thank You loving and caring for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Job 6:14 He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 7:12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant that yourselves.
Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
1 Peter 4:10 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling
Isn’t it a wonderful thing every time you experience kindness. Not everyone exudes kindness. We see a lot of impatience, frustration, exasperation, maybe some anger and it can occur often in our lives. It can make us feel frustration and anger also. We may have no idea what the person expressing the dissatisfaction is going through, but the impatience and unkindness they have shown have negatively affected others. But impatience and unkindness can hurt others, and be a direct cause for them to get upset; and then perhaps can cycle the emotions to a larger group. Oftentimes, we tend to hold onto frustration and anger which started by a person’s negative feelings.
There are some very special persons and they do not seem to get flustered or impatient, and try to always show others goodness, patience, and kindness. Those are generally persons who care about others and want to show them kindness always. They seem able to not absorb the negative emotions and try to diffuse such situations with a kind word or comment. Kindness goes a long way to helping another care and to
Kindness is the fruit of the Spirit and when others see kindness shown repeatedly, one knows the one showing kindness and love is a follower of Jesus. The Holy Spirit guides and encourages us to show kindness, gentleness, patience and love. Colossians 3 instructs us to intentionally clothe ourselves with kindness. Just as we dress as warriors to defend against the devil, we need to dress with kindness.
There are so many ways we can offer kindness to others. We can bring a sick or grieving person meals, offer to shop when someone is ill, sitting with someone in the hospital while they are visiting a loved one, praying for recovery, volunteering to babysit so a couple can go out, pet sitting so someone can travel, sending a card or text when you know someone is having a difficult time, driving someone to an appointment or any other kindness someone needs. Certainly speaking kindly at all times is indicative of one who believes in kindness and shows it.
In the Old Testament, Rahab showed kindness to the two spies who entered Jericho. She harbored them, protecting their lives–not knowing if they would protect her and her family–and then helped them escape by letting them down from her house, telling them the direction they should go and that they should hole up for three days then return to their camp. This was kindness. Before they departed from her home, she asked them to protect her family when the Israelites invaded Jericho. But she had already helped them and possibly put herself in danger by her assistance. As God designed, the Israelite spies agreed, and hence her kindness to these two men gave her the privilege of being in the lineage of Jesus.
Ruth was another woman who showed kindness. She had grown to love the Israeli woman who was her mother-in-law, and I think she gained strength and learned about the only true God from her husband and in laws. Whatever her reasons, she chose to stay with Naomi when Naomi decided to leave Moab and return to Bethlehem in Judah, Ruth chose to leave her relatives and country and return with Naomi. Naomi, tired and depressed tried to urge both daughters-in-law to not accompany her and to return to their families. One chose to return, but Ruth insisted on going with her mother-in-law, and stated ,”…you’re God will be my God.” She took care of Naomi, gathering food for her, working and providing for her, and being a good and loving–a kind–companion.
Ruth’s story continues when Boaz, the owner of the field where she is gathering part of the harvest as it is food for herself and Naomi. Boaz ensured she would be protected, and then once he learned she was Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Naomi being a relative through her deceased husband, Boaz paid extra attention ensuring that she had extra grain to carry home each evening. Boaz showed kindness to Ruth. He tried to find a permanent provider through a relative that was closer than he was, but the man did not want the responsibility so Boaz married Ruth, providing for both her and Naomi. Kindness. They, too, were part of Jesus’ lineage.
Kindness is so vital and positive building to the recipient. It makes the person feel noticed, accepted and lifts the spirits. I believe kindness is catchy–like a positive virus. Receiving kindness encourages the recipient to be kind in return. Being kind encourages others to be kind. For the most part we are a selfish, self-centered bunch and often don’t take the time to be kind. Our selfishness makes us feel ‘so important’ and therefore acting as though it is not necessary to show kindness. How sad that is. And I have been guilty of this behavior. Thankfully, I have the Holy Spirit within and He reminds me when I feel impatient and that rudeness rather than kindness wants to bubble forth.
I want to be more patient, more kind, more gentle and loving. I feel as though I have so far to walk this journey and wonder if I will ever be where I would like to be on this journey. But I choose to try to always be kind and to walk with God.
Thank You, God for Your patience with my fumbling and slow growth to be kinder and walk closer with Him. I am so thankful You chose me and have so richly blessed me and ‘mybellaviews.’
One of the strongest of all virtues is kindness
If you lovingly remember others, they will never forget you.
Kindness is the insignia of a loving heart. All these quotes The Complete Book of Zingers by Croft M. Pentz, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, IL 1990
Deuteronomy 15:10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to hm, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
Deuteronomy 30:17-18 But if you heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish.
Joshua 22:5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Chronicles 28:9 ” …. serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if your forsake him, he will cast your off forever….”
Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Psalm 4:4 Tremble, and do not sin; meditate on your heart upon your bed, and be still SELAH.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Proverbs 4:4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. SELAH
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 21:2 A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.
Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land–not a famine of bread, not a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Our hearts are selfish organs and they want what they want when they want it. Even if the person has learned something they desire is bad for them, that is not always reason enough doe them to not act on the desire to HAVE it. We like immediate gratification and tell ourselves “it’s only once. Won’t be a big deal.” When they follow through with filling their desire, they may or may not feel badly–guilty, ashamed or whatever. And since guilt or shame makes one feel badly, they reassure themselves it was not that big an offense (sin), and they will not repeat it again. Well, until tomorrow or the next day.
We spend so much of our time thinking of what we may want–not necessarily material objects, but we feel hunger and then we want a quick fix–fast food, bakery run, some kind of rapid filling to assuage the urge. But we do that with so many things–clothing we really don’t need, shoes–how many athletic shoes does one need? We over purchase because of something our eyes tell us–‘oh so cute, I want that; oh look how my butt looks in those jeans, oh look at how that sweater makes my eyes standout.’ And on and on we make our excuses.
But our hearts are self centered and filled with desires for something we want, perhaps even think we need. But, without the control of moderation and remembering the Word which reminds us through the Holy Spirit that our priority of need is really our relationship with Him. It leaves a hole within each of us, and we search through a bunch of choices to try to fill that emptiness. We try social media, playing on our phones, searching the internet for whatever idea may flash through our minds, we buy things we don’t need or particularly want once it is at home, and so on. We try to do SOMETHING to fill that void. In the process though, we are not searching in the right place, which is seeking God.
In this day and age, it seems so much more exciting and fulfilling to follow the world and its values. Sadly, people spend more time playing in a band on a Sunday, going to the movies rather than church, taking kids to their various sport activities and never seek God. There are too many other things to do in their busy lives to add one more thing. Afterall, kids sports are important–very costly and important. They NEVER stop to think about the cost of spending eternity in HELL. And I wonder if many think about eternity at all. They are consumed with the busyness of the present and it is now, now and now they are working to succeed–at jobs, at making sure the children do what they are supposed to do, to making sure the children have ALL the activities they want to do. Success is in the form of money, the form of the children’s success-scholastic, sports or dance or whatever. I wonder how many consider the importance of what they are not seeking, or just wondering and running to find how to fill that emptiness.
They fill their hearts with the wrong things–things that don’t matter in the long run. Momentary success, prestige, and praise, but nothing that is eternal. It is frightening and gut wrenching to me that my own family has no knowledge of God and spend their time with other activities rather than seeking what can truly fill their hearts and be lasting. God is eternal and a true relationship with Him is lasting and the most important thing one can seek. But hard to see that when one is trying to get through each day, and not thinking very far into the future. They are in charge of their own destiny. They are unaware that their hearts desire for other things is causing them to sin, and they will be facing a big loss–loss of eternity with Jesus.
People need to be told of Jesus and who He is/was/and will be forever. i continue to pray for those who do not know Him.
Thank You, Jesus for putting people in my life who introduced me to You–and have therefore saved my life. You are responsible for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
Have you ever noticed that the narrow road is not crowded but the broad way is?
The door to heaven is open to everyone whose heart is open to God.
Those who live right won’t get left.
Sayings above from The Complete Book of Zingers by Croft M. Pentz, 1990, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois
Hi, I'm Kathy. Welcome to my website!