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A Life-Giving Touch of Kindness
Life is short.
People are fragile. So very, very fragile.
We who have committed our lives to a Gentle Jesus should of all people be a cascade of kindness to others.
As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, that is Peter’s message to you and me today.
Pretty basic. In a perfect world (which ours is not), this should not even need to be said.
But sadly, it does need to be said. And we need to be reminded that…
Life is short.
People are fragile.
We who have committed our lives to a Gentle Jesus should of all people be a cascade of kindness to others.
23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
1 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. (1 Peter 1:23 – 2:1)
Like I said: Life is short. People are fragile.
This is why Peter offers this “vice list” in 1 Peter 2:1… so that we would honor the fact that we are all fragile and only live here on earth a short time. But, note Peter’s order of his list here and how all the preceding vices culminate to “unkind speech”. How we speak to one another is of utmost importance. As Jesus said:
“Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” (Matthew 12:34)
Or, consider what Jesus’ younger brother, James wrote:
3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 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. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. (James 3:3-12)
How we speak to one another, including what we talk about, is of utmost importance!
It was then just as it is today.
Are you known as someone who speaks kindly to others?
Are you committed to living a life free of evil behavior, deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and all unkind speech?
In other words, are you living the life and known for the life that Jesus has called you to live?
(This podcast is by Dewey Bertolini. discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)