Be kind to one another..

Some children (it seems) never say ‘I’m SORRY,’ after they do bad things to you. But I know that you do because you are a kind child of God.

Sound familiar? The parental leading or teacher’s prayer of repentance for your unkind words?

“Be kind to one another, BEFORE you must repent.”

A Lenten Short Take on Scripture

That’s NOT in the Bible, is it?

No, not in those exact words but this advice to the children of the Lord God resounds throughout the Bible.

Some of us have been thinking about Lent as a time we should pray for forgiveness for all of our shortcomings — sins of commission and omission — things we have said that we ought not to have said..

Sins of ours for which JESUS was NAILED TO THE CROSS!

• Yet wouldn’t we do better to behave a Christ?
• To act like JESUS in our relationships with others?

Kindness OR Repentance?

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Letter of Paul to the Church at EPHESUS 4:32

We teach this to our children. (And we claim to be children of the living God!)

חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אַל־יַעַזְבֻךָ קָשְׁרֵם עַל־גַּרְגְּרֹותֶיךָ כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ׃

CLICK HERE for translations of ENGLISH BIBLES Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:3 :: Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)

Repentance BEFORE Kindness

What were your most recent unkind words for which you must repent?

If our hearts would only have heeded the wise words of Scripture prior to allowing our tongues spew out unkind darts toward another, then our repentance and I’m sorries would not have been so required this day.

When it is My desire,

I will discipline them..

Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness;
Harvest in accordance with kindness.
Break up your uncultivated ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes and rains righteousness on you.

Hosea 10:10a,12 NASB20

WHAT’S YOUR SHORT TAKE ON THESE SCRIPTURES ABOUT KINDNESS?

• What unkind words have brought you to a need to repent?