Human Kindness

This morning I was thinking about kindness. Actually, I was thinking more on the lack of it. It’s not just in other people with whom I come in contact, but it is with me, too. I just don’t feel truly kind anymore, like the irritability I often feel saps it from me. Maybe it’s a sign of these Times, like love waning, becoming cold. Maybe it’s just me getting old and grumpy.

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6

A quick web search on Biblical Kindness, the kindness of the Lord Y’shuaJesus, came up with an interesting article at Bible Study Tools. The article points out that the word kindness is but one of many terms that overlap in meaning. Like the word mercy as used in Hosea.

“Human Kindness The Scriptures also teach that divine kindness is to be reflected in the human experience. Indeed, expressing kindness to other human beings is more important than performing ritual sacrifice to God ( Hosea 6:6 ; Matt 9:13 ; 12:7 ). Thus, we are to love kindness ( Mic6:8 ) and to be children of the Most High, exhibiting his kindness and mercy ( Luke 6:35-36 ). Even more direct is the simple injunction to be kind ( Eph 4:32 ). Kindness often finds a place in the lists of Christian virtues ( 1 Col 13:4 ; Col 3:12 ). Paul can take the injunction a step further and claim to exemplify kindness in his own life to a degree that commends his ministry as authentic ( 2 Cor 6:6 ).

“Yet human imitation of God’s kindness does not come naturally. In fact, ultimately no one is kind ( Psalm14:3 ; Rom 3:12 ). It is only as the fruit of God’s Spirit that kindness can be a consistent part of the believer’s experience ( Gal 5:22 ).” (from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology.)

So I can see that in truth, it’s not that I’m becoming unkind through my irritability, it’s that I’m unkind in my inhuman nature. It’s probably “normal” to be irritable and unkind. To be truly kind, my ministry must be authentic, my works pure, and the fruit of the Spirit will create in me the kindness I lack.

Lord, create in me a clean heart, bringing me to an authentic life in You, that I might display Your kindness to all with whom You allow me contact. AMEN.

And to y’all. . . Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . . creating in you, too, a clean heart to be filled with the Peace of the Lord Y’shuaJesus. AMEN.

Contemporary Christian Music

Symbol of Christianity, white version. — The Cross of Y’shuaJesus, Lord and Savior. (Photo: Wikipedia)

While digging rocks out of Georgia red clay to lay a pipe to channel rain water away from a garden area, I listened to some contemporary Christian music playing from my truck. After a while I switched it back to Southern Gospel. Big difference. One thing that is so very apparent to me is that listening to many of the Contemporary Christian songs I might be listening to any rock station, not specifically Christian.

It’s not just the repetitive nature of the song and the bump bump bump electronically repeated beat. It’s the central lack of focus. It’s that there isn’t a focus upon the Lord Y’shuaJesus. In one song, the singer wanted to know how he was seen by some unidentified “you.” It could have been a song about a man wanting to know how a woman thinks of him. It all really started turning my stomach. And I began to wonder if I, in writing, mention the Name of the Lord Y’shuaJesus often enough.

The Name of the Lord is holy. The Name of the LORD is above all names. The LORD is G-d; The LORD is One. To the Jew, rather than mispronounce the Name of the LORD, He is referred to as simply, and reverently, The Name, H’Shem. We who believe Y’shuaJesus is the Messiah, are able to say the our Lord’s Name, and should do so more often.

Praise the Name of the Lord Y’shua! May He bless you today as you reverence His Name.

Rejoice in the LORD!

Lord,

Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name… Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

Psalm 63:3-4,7

Thank You, Lord . . . Amen.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon Your people this day and always.

The Finished Pantry

Between various landscaping projects, hauling a lot of top soil, and chauffeuring teenagers, I finished the pantry. The shelving [part of one wall is seen in the photo] is espresso-colored, melamine-coated particle board, mounted to double brackets that fit into a wall bracket that allows them to be adjusted up or down, as needed. There are five main brackets mounted directly into studs. Should be hefty enough to cram even more stores. I had to go to four different big-box “lumber yards” to get enough of them to do the job. Either the shelves are popular, and stock is low, or they aren’t and stock is minimal.

You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.

Leviticus 26:10

Knowing we’d be doing the pantry, we haven’t been shopping in a while. Having the food out of the pantry during the rebuilding process provided the opportunity to sort through everything. As it went back in, older stock at the front, we also added a lot of things to a shopping list. I think I’ll be making a CostCo run very soon. I’ve written about preparing for emergencies by having a well-supplied pantry, a deep larder. I don’t think I’ve given any Biblical reference for it. But Moses recorded some of G-d’s advice for daily living, and said that we should eat old store, making ready for new. I’m sure there are a lot of life applications one can take from this scripture, but in simple, practical ways, we eat what what is stored, storing what we buy. It’s nice that our Heavenly Father provided guidance for everyday life.

ASIDE: Okay. No, we don’t store greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We eat some things freshly purchased. Weekly we buy some produce, cheese, and a few other things. But the basics of our meals are taken directly from the pantry or the well-stocked freezer.

Time to get to work. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Remodeling Flaws Add Character

Ants in the Pantry (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thinking more about the various flaws in my work in the pantry, I have to confess that even while I wrote that “It’s only a pantry,” it worried me that I wasn’t doing it well enough. I really did try to get it to look right. In fact, when doing some closets, replacing old metal shelving with wooden units, I worked very hard to get the wall smooth and the paint lines clean. Despite this, there remained areas that were less than perfect. I admit that in the pantry I was in a hurry and didn’t want to get sanding dust all over the kitchen. I used a coarse sponge only dampened to smooth out the final coat of drywall mud. I used only one coat of primer, and one coat of paint, too.

Yesterday, with the paint having sat a day, I walked into the pantry and the walls look pretty good. I’m ready to start the shelves. Even the small, noticeable spots that aren’t perfectly smooth look good. They add character. Really, they do.

In relation to flaws, I wrote about David asking G-d to examine him, and how hard it is to do the same for myself. I talked of G-d cleaning up some of our flaws that might cause bigger problems if left unattended. But what about the other flaws? As I thought more about them, I wondered if some flaws don’t add character, too. Additionally, there may also be some benefits to some flaws left un-repaired. Think about Paul, and what he wrote to the church at Corinth.

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7

Some say Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was problems with his eyes. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Paul came to understand that the “thorn” was beneficial to his walk with the Lord. Perhaps Paul’s “thorn” could be said to give him his unique character.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . .

Remodeling Flaws

Among the projects this week is remodeling a pantry. It’s not too large, and had metal closet shelving installed along two walls. First, I tore out the shelving, then removed the hardware. Next, I filled all the large holes that were left when the hardware was removed. There were a lot of holes, too. I got by with two coats of drywall/sheetrock compound (mud) one each hole. The first coat filled the holes, the second blended the area in with the wall. After one coat of primer it looks pretty good. There are a few places that could have been sanded smoother, but, hey, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just a pantry after all.

There is an new hardwood floor in that pantry. While painting, as I cut along the base board, I could see small imperfections in the joints of the boards and in the new shoe molding. I could feel, too, some nail heads that weren’t put in all the way. Most of the flaws were beneath where the old shelves had been. Hidden. I’m sure the hardwood floor installer said the same thing as me. “It’s just a pantry.” And even with all the shelves out, the walls repainted, any flaws are hard to see until I get right down on my knees, and look real hard. Basically, walking into the pantry things look great, floor and walls. There’s one flaw, however, that will need to be repaired. It’s a tiny sliver of flooring protruding upward. It’s likely to be caught on a dust mop, and the splinter will come off. It still won’t be too noticeable, but will leave a small gap that will trap dirt. Eventually, left untreated, it could trap moisture, which will cause issues to the surrounding wood. A spot of glue will take care of it. Like the saying goes, “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Spiritual Lessons Abound. So I’m thinking about what David said to the Lord:

Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

Psalm 26:2

First of all, David has guts. He’s basically saying, “Get down on your knees and look real close!” I feel reluctant to echo David’s prayer. There are too many things I’m aware of, so there must be lots of hidden flaws. Yet if I’m willing to say, like King David, “Examine me, O LORD. . .” here’s what I think will happen. The Lord will find the flaw that will cause me trouble if left without repair. The Lord will bring it to my attention. From there

I can confess it and accept His forgiveness for it. And then He’ll glue me back together. Hopefully metaphorically.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

The Waiting Game

“Hurry up and wait!” I heard that often enough during my years of military service. Waiting was as difficult as busy work, which was meaningless toil, drudgery, to prevent just sitting around waiting. There are other sorts of waiting, too. School kids “wait” for the bell to ring during last period so they can zip out the door to freedom. A parent waits late into the night for his or her teenager to return home from a date. And there’s the waiting of a Believer, a Follower of Y’shuaJesus, waiting for the Trumpet to call us to be with the Lord.

Waiting’s hard work. While driving truck, after delivering a load I often had to wait for another assignment. It could come at any time, too. Depending where I was, I might be able grab a quick shower at a truck stop that was close to where I delivered. Or perhaps grab a meal, if convenient. More often, I simply parked in the parking lot outside the plant to which I’d delivered and waited. I tried to read, but would find myself looking often and anxious at the Qualcom, the communications system on which I’d get a load assignment. It was hard to relax between loads unless I knew I had a set amount of time. Once, after delivering a load south of Dallas, Texas, I pulled into a dirt lot next to a restaurant, and went in for a meal. Every fifteen minutes I’d go out and check to see if a message arrived on the Qualcom. I was there about a couple of hours when I received a telephone call from the dispatcher asking why I hadn’t responded to the dispatch message. I went immediately out to the truck, but there was nothing there. He had to verbally dispatched me to a steel plant for a load going into Georgia. Not a bad run, but one I almost missed if I hadn’t had a cell phone with me. I took another twenty minutes or so after pulling out of the parking lot to receive the written dispatch on the Qualcom. Perhaps the metal building walls reflected the satellite signals, preventing me from receiving the dispatch. I don’t know.

Waiting is hard work. It is also a dangerous time; it is a time when we can be distracted and wander off in some other direction. There’s a story that Y’shuaJesus told about the maidens that fell asleep, letting their lamps go out. And in Luke chapter 12, after Y’shuaJesus talks about laying up treasure in Heaven, He talks about what to do while playing the waiting game.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Luke 12:35-40

Matthew Henry commented on this scripture that Y’shuaJesus, “charges them to get ready, and to keep in a readiness for Christ’s coming, when all those who have laid up their treasure in heaven shall enter upon the enjoyment of it.” So there are two elements, according to Mr. Henry, in this waiting game. First, get ready; second, stay ready. That means waiting is active. It isn’t just standing around. Sometimes we are likened to servants whose master has gone away. Picture a servant standing by the door awaiting his master, doing nothing, just waiting. Probably not the best way to wait, I’m thinking.

So it seems there is good waiting and poor waiting. I’m on the poor side of waiting a lot of the time, especially when it comes to cooking. Even with a timer set, I’ll often just stand watching, waiting for the timer. In some of my best moments in the kitchen, I’ve put a pot of water on the heat, and while waiting for it to boil, done other things in the kitchen, or in the laundry room next to it. I’ve gotten distracted, too. I’ve left a pot to boil until nearly dry, and once totally ruined a batch of steamed vegetables.

Additionally, playing this waiting game takes balance and awareness. I’m thinking of when Y’shuaJesus went into the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was too busy to sit with Y’shua while Mary did only sit with Him. Y’shua said Mary picked the best of the two extremes. Y’shua hasn’t come into our house physically yet, so perhaps we need to be active while at the same time foster the spiritual communion with our Lord that He desires. But is our activity just busy work. What we do, is it necessary? Or is just something to fill the space between other things? Back to the kitchen. Perhaps when there is two minutes to wait for some vegetables to steam, it’s okay not to always have to be doing something. Perhaps standing in front of the stove is okay, and using that very moment to consider the One for Whom we wait to return. We can offer words of Praise, offering hearts of Worship, and we can offer prayers.

Occupying my waiting time then is a balance of activity that is purposeful, balanced with the spiritually uplifting elements of Praise, Worship, Prayer. And in all this activity, in all that I do, all must be done as to the Lord.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. . .

Colossians 3:23

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

A Song of Praise

A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

Psalm 145:1-5

“Those who, under troubles and temptations, abound in fervent prayer, shall in due season abound in grateful praise, which is the true language of holy joy. Especially we should speak of God’s wondrous work of redemption, while we declare his greatness. For no deliverance of the Israelites, nor the punishment of sinners, so clearly proclaims the justice of God, as the cross of Christ exhibits it to the enlightened mind. It may be truly said of our Lord Jesus Christ, that his words are words of goodness and grace; his works are works of goodness and grace. He is full of compassion; hence he came into the world to save sinners. When on earth, he showed his compassion both to the bodies and souls of men, by healing the one, and making wise the other. He is of great mercy, a merciful High Priest, through whom God is merciful to sinners.” (Matthew Henry, from his concise commentary)

In Mr. Henry’s comments, I find that the reward for “fervent prayer” during trials and temptations will be that some day I’ll “abound in grateful praise. I shant disagree with Mr. Henry; certainly there are always rewards at future times for today’s righteous acts. I will add, however, to Mr. Henry’s comment. David sang to his Lord, our Lord, “I will extol you, my G-d and King, and bless your name forever and ever.” When David sang this, he could not help but be elevated into the joyful realm of G-d’s Heavenly Kingdom, if only for a minute, even an instant. And one minute, even one instant, of Heaven is enough to change one’s heart for the day of troubles that follow.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Yom Kippur

If you were to enter a synagogue today, Chabad.org has a guide to what to expect. It includes: “You may also notice that many people are wearing white clothing, and some are even wearing a white robe called a kittel. This is because on Yom Kippur we are likened to angels. The angels do not eat, and neither do we. The angels devote themselves to praising G‑d, and so do we. The shroud-like kittel also reminds us that all life on earth comes to an end.”

Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. It’s history and significance is as follows (also from chabad.org):

“Forty days after they received the Torah at Mount Sinai and committed to be G‑d’s chosen people, the Children of Israel worshipped a Golden Calf. Moses pleaded with G‑d not to destroy His errant nation, and on the tenth of Tishrei G‑d said, “I have forgiven.” Ever since, we observe this date as the “Day of Atonement”—a celebration of our indestructible relationship with G‑d. It is the holiest day of the year, when we reconnect with our very essence, which remains faithful to G‑d regardless of our behavior.

“Yom Kippur is a fast day: from sundown on the eve of Yom Kippur until the following nightfall, we do not eat or drink. We also abstain from certain physical pleasures: wearing leather footwear, bathing or washing, applying lotions or creams, and marital relations. It is also a “day of rest,” on which all work is forbidden (as on Shabbat).

“The greater part of the day in the synagogue we engage in repentance and prayer. There are five prayer services: 1) The evening prayers, which begin with the solemn Kol Nidrei. 2) Morning prayer. 3) Musaf, which includes a description of the Yom Kippur Holy Temple service. 4) Afternoon prayer, during which the Book of Jonah is read. 5) Ne’ilah, recited as the day wanes and the verdict for the new year is sealed. The first four prayers include a (private) confession of sins to G‑d. Ne’ilah concludes with the congregation calling out the Shema in unison, and then a blast of the shofar signals the end of the day.

“Yom Kippur is followed by a festive meal. We rejoice, confident that G‑d has forgiven our sins.”

The author of the “New Testament” letter to the Hebrews wrote about the yearly sacrifice offered at the Temple to atone for the sins of the People of G-d.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:1-22

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

“Sometimes sorry isn’t enough,”. . .

. . . is a phrase I’ve heard people say. As we approach Yom Kippur, or the Day of Attonement, I think more about repentance. If I’ve wronged someone, I say to the person “I’m sorry.” If I said to you that I’m sorry, would you reply, “Sorry isn’t enough”? No, I don’t think so. I think, as we grew up, we learned to say “I’m sorry” from parents and teachers, and to accept “I’m sorry” as enough. Before my kids were in school, they attended a “learning center” that functioned as both a preschool and a day care. It was expected that if one child wronged another, the children would make up with “I’m sorry.” Somehow that was all that was needed. Sorry was enough.

Last week I cited Job’s “repent in dust and ashes.” In this citation, according to my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, the Hebrew word used as repent is Nacham. It means to draw the breath forcibly, to pant, to grieve, to feel repentance. The idea of breathing deeply was a physical display of one’s feeling, usually sorrow, but also compassion and comfort. In Job’s case, it seems that he grieved for his flawed understanding, and looking toward G-d, accepting G-d’s supremacy in all things.

My study Bible also states that, usually, when it is man repenting, the word used is a verb, shuwb, that entails “to turn” from sin to G-d. There is an action involved. At BibleStudyTools.com, in a definition of repentance, it states: “Two requisites of repentance included in sub are “to turn from evil, and to turn to the good.” Most critical theologically is the idea of returning to God, or turning away from evil. If one turns away from God, apostasy is indicated.” This turning “goes beyond sorrow and contrition.

So perhaps saying “Sorry” isn’t enough. Billy Graham put it this way, “Repentance begins with admitting your sin and agreeing with God about it. [emphasis added]

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Psalm 51:4

Sin against G-d creates a rift. “True sorrow then can cause you to turn from any specific sinful act and to pray for God’s help in resisting temptation,” says Billy Graham. “When you repent, [your] relationship with God is restored.”

True sorrow has an element of compassion, which is mentioned as a meaning in the definition of Nachem. We understand our own misdeeds from the perspective of the person on the receiving end. When we say “I’m sorry,” it must come not only from being sorry for ourselves, but from what we’ve done to others, how our actions affected them. Especially, this is true for the rift we create in shutting out our Creator, our Lord and G-d. For G-d, Who created us, wants to walk with us. In a very real sense, G-d desires with us what He had with Adam in the Garden before “The Fall.” It is to this end:

that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .