WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.260 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.880 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:26.080 --> 00:00:31.260 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear the latest message. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:44.540 --> 00:00:45.560 Well, good morning. 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:52.380 If you would, turn your Bibles to Galatians chapter 5, starting at verse 16. 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:55.500 We're continuing in our series on the fruit of the Spirit. 00:00:56.620 --> 00:00:58.960 Towards the end of the service, we'll have communion together. 00:00:59.060 --> 00:01:03.900 So if you didn't get a chance to get your elements for communion, they're right back there at the table by the door. 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:09.960 At any point, you can get up and go back there and get you one if you didn't get one when you came in. 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:15.660 So again, Galatians chapter 5, verses 16 through 25. 00:01:16.600 --> 00:01:19.520 We continue in our series on fruit of the Spirit. 00:01:19.520 --> 00:01:22.300 Verse 16 begins, 00:01:22.300 --> 00:01:32.180 You're going to see several things here that Paul mentions in element and focus of the Spirit. 00:01:32.180 --> 00:01:35.800 Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 00:01:35.880 --> 00:01:41.260 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. 00:01:41.820 --> 00:01:47.060 For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 00:01:47.800 --> 00:01:52.320 But if you are led by the Spirit, big kind of question there. 00:01:52.500 --> 00:01:54.120 If, are you led by the Spirit? 00:01:54.160 --> 00:01:57.560 That's kind of what we take back when we see something like that. 00:01:57.700 --> 00:01:59.520 If, are we doing that? 00:01:59.600 --> 00:02:03.100 If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:06.280 Now, the works of the flesh are evident. 00:02:06.460 --> 00:02:20.420 Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, intimacy, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. 00:02:20.600 --> 00:02:26.660 I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:34.540 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. 00:02:35.200 --> 00:02:37.500 And that's what we're going to be talking about today. 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:41.840 Goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 00:02:42.540 --> 00:02:44.600 Against such things, there is no law. 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:49.920 And those who belong to Christ have been crucified with the flesh, with its passions and desires. 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:59.500 And once again, Paul says, if, if we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:06.480 So Paul's focusing your attention and my attention on the whole thing of follow the Spirit of God. 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:09.560 You're being led by the Spirit of God. 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:12.040 Keep in step with the Spirit of God. 00:03:12.600 --> 00:03:14.160 Live by the Spirit of God. 00:03:14.260 --> 00:03:23.120 And as you and I do that, the fruit of the Spirit of God will be very evident in your life and in my life. 00:03:23.980 --> 00:03:25.940 So kindness is what we're going to be looking at this morning. 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:34.440 I think for you and I, a biblical understanding of kindness can be summed up in Philippians chapter 2, verses 3 and 4. 00:03:35.640 --> 00:03:36.860 Read these words. 00:03:36.860 --> 00:03:44.740 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. 00:03:45.820 --> 00:03:52.100 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:55.240 So it's getting beyond ourself. 00:03:56.040 --> 00:03:58.260 It's placing others above ourself. 00:03:58.700 --> 00:04:01.680 It's placing their interests above my interests. 00:04:01.820 --> 00:04:04.400 It's placing their likes above my likes. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:07.560 It's placing their wants above my wants. 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:10.160 It's their needs above my needs. 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:12.660 So biblical kindness is others focused. 00:04:14.940 --> 00:04:20.220 Now this past week, the Lord kind of wrecked me with this topic. 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:25.840 When I first knew that this would be the topic that Bo would want me to pick up on, I was like, kindness. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:27.480 Yeah, I got this. 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:28.620 This will be good. 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:36.240 Well, Lord had his other reasons for why he wanted me to share this morning about kindness. 00:04:37.440 --> 00:04:40.760 Two questions started to appear in my mind over the week. 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:42.860 One of them was this. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:47.320 How, when, and where does kindness show up in my actions? 00:04:48.900 --> 00:04:52.360 How, when, and where does kindness show up in my actions? 00:04:53.520 --> 00:04:55.760 And the second one that kept coming is this. 00:04:56.980 --> 00:05:00.800 Is kindness present in the thoughts of my mind and the reflections of my heart? 00:05:02.460 --> 00:05:08.460 Maybe there's something I can do that displays kindness, but what about in my mind and in my heart? 00:05:09.400 --> 00:05:12.020 Isn't that where everything that we do generates from? 00:05:12.760 --> 00:05:14.380 We have thoughts about it. 00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:22.140 We have intentions and it all starts in our mind and all starts in our heart before it ever comes out in actions. 00:05:23.540 --> 00:05:32.420 So when I'm thinking about kindness and my kind and my mind and my heart towards whomever, you know, it's in those tough times. 00:05:32.520 --> 00:05:33.600 It's in those hard times. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:46.140 It's when, when who we are as a believer in Christ encounters a situation, encounters something in our life, whereas at that moment, whether God's going to show up, he desires to show up. 00:05:46.140 --> 00:05:51.620 But it's whether or not we, if we walk by the spirit, allow the spirit of God to show up. 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.520 And so I battled with those thinking, all right, Lord, here it is. 00:05:56.820 --> 00:06:00.100 I'm looking in the mirror on this topic of kindness. 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:11.360 And it really, really caused me to say, wow, Dave, maybe not as much as you think how you respond with kindness. 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:19.220 I could be in a restaurant and the server come up and in my mind, I'm thinking, man, you don't like your job, do you? 00:06:20.580 --> 00:06:23.040 You know, and at that moment, what am I going to do with that thought? 00:06:24.380 --> 00:06:30.000 Am I going to go, man, I really wish you'd hurry up with my order because I'm, you know, my belly's crying out. 00:06:30.080 --> 00:06:31.060 It needs some food. 00:06:32.280 --> 00:06:38.880 But am I sitting there thinking next time that server comes to my table, I'm not going to have a kind look on my face. 00:06:39.880 --> 00:06:49.120 You know, or maybe I'm in traffic and somebody cuts over on me or somebody does something that I don't think they should be doing in traffic. 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:53.340 And in that moment, my mind, what does it say and what is it leading me to? 00:06:54.340 --> 00:06:56.800 Is it an attitude of kindness? 00:06:56.960 --> 00:06:58.540 Is it an action of kindness? 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:09.680 And so, man, this week I was on evaluation mode everywhere I went, almost like, how about I just stay in my house, close the doors, lock them, and I just sit here until Sunday. 00:07:09.760 --> 00:07:10.840 But that's not the case. 00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:20.140 And I think that's what God desires for you and I, especially when we start looking at the fruit of God's spirit in our lives. 00:07:20.260 --> 00:07:26.700 All the ones that Bo has already taught us leading up to this point is they're to be shown, they're not to be hidden. 00:07:27.740 --> 00:07:33.080 They're to be a reflection of who God is and a reflection of who God is in our life. 00:07:34.820 --> 00:07:37.740 Well, the idea of kindness also took me back to some memories. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:47.280 So around the age of 10, 11, 12, somewhere in that time frame, for like 50 years, my dad was in the food service industry. 00:07:47.840 --> 00:07:49.560 He sold food, basically. 00:07:50.220 --> 00:08:00.040 Worked for a local, well, several companies, but most of the last part of his days or several years of his life, he worked in mainly selling meat products. 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:18.100 But early on in that time, 10, 11, 12, I remember traveling around with him to the various restaurants and stuff, and, you know, he'd be bop into the restaurant, and I'd follow behind, and we'd go through the kitchen, and we'd go to the office, wherever the head person was, the head chef, the executive chef, whatever the name or title was at that time. 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:25.640 And I remember going in, and I remember following him, and I remember how he reacted and responded to people. 00:08:26.820 --> 00:08:28.640 He would greet them with a smile. 00:08:29.820 --> 00:08:32.060 He would say kind words to them. 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:40.540 And in the process of sitting down, knowing that he's there to sell a product, inevitably, there would be life talked about. 00:08:41.640 --> 00:08:42.500 How's your wife? 00:08:42.580 --> 00:08:43.380 How's your kid? 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:44.740 And he would ask these questions. 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:46.100 How's this going on in your life? 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:54.220 Because they had already had a conversation of what was happening in that person's life, and my dad had already been praying about that, so he was kind of following that up. 00:08:55.180 --> 00:09:01.600 And so I saw kindness in action whenever I rode around with him during those times early on in my life. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:18.540 And I remember getting back in the car with him and just having those conversations like he would tell me more than what this person was, not just a customer, but this was a person that he had built a relationship with, and that God had planted that in his heart and that he would pray over that person. 00:09:18.660 --> 00:09:20.720 And I remember those conversations. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:27.800 So my father was able to show me what kindness is when you're in relationship with the Lord. 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:31.260 And that's what it leads you and I to look at. 00:09:31.380 --> 00:09:33.760 So what does the Bible tell us about kindness? 00:09:34.780 --> 00:09:42.120 You know, if we've got all these different questions about life, we a lot of times turn to other things in life, people in life, and we don't turn to God. 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:52.620 But that's what God expects of you and I is that we turn to his word to find out what it is about our life, what it is about the life we live on this earth, and how we live it with one another. 00:09:54.280 --> 00:10:01.200 So the Bible does tell us, and it tells us about God's kindness, because that's where it starts, that's where it originates. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:06.100 If we're going to talk about our kindness, it has to begin with the kindness of God. 00:10:07.040 --> 00:10:10.560 And in Jeremiah chapter 29, verses 24, read these words. 00:10:12.420 --> 00:10:22.080 But let the one who boasts boast about this, that they have the understanding to know that I am the Lord who exercises kindness. 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:28.420 You know that any time we see words in the Bible, they're not there just by accident. 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:38.180 Every word in Scripture has a reason there, and I see that in this, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness. 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:44.220 That God is going about showing and displaying his kindness to his people. 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:50.400 You see, God exercised kindness on the children of Israel as they journeyed out of captivity from Egypt. 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:55.980 A few months back, I decided, man, I'm just going to start back from the beginning again, and I'm going to start reading the Bible. 00:10:56.800 --> 00:10:58.620 I'm going to start from Genesis, and I'm going to go forward. 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:04.880 And so really, I'm right there in the midst of that exodus experience where the children of Israel have come in out of Egypt. 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:09.460 You know, and they're early on in their journey, they're grumbling and complaining. 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:11.000 You know, it kind of sounds like us. 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:12.280 Lord, why aren't you doing this? 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:13.000 Why aren't you doing that? 00:11:13.380 --> 00:11:14.060 They were hungry. 00:11:14.180 --> 00:11:15.260 What does God do? 00:11:16.140 --> 00:11:17.500 God doesn't shut them up. 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:20.080 You know, he could have exercised that. 00:11:20.160 --> 00:11:21.460 He could have done something like that. 00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:28.640 But no, God exercised his kindness by providing manna from heaven each and every day that they needed it. 00:11:29.260 --> 00:11:33.360 And then they were thirsty, and God could have said, you know, hey, come on, tighten up things. 00:11:33.400 --> 00:11:34.040 Let's get with it. 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:34.680 You're on a journey. 00:11:34.760 --> 00:11:35.320 Let's move. 00:11:35.560 --> 00:11:36.020 Quit whining. 00:11:36.520 --> 00:11:41.520 But instead, he brought water from the rock and provided for their thirst. 00:11:42.580 --> 00:11:46.400 And then as they continued to journey, as they're going through the wilderness, what does God do? 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:51.300 God doesn't allow them to bump around in the darkness or get off on the wrong trail during the day. 00:11:51.380 --> 00:11:57.260 No, he sends a pillar of fire by night to guide them in the night, and he sends them a cloud by day to guide them through the day. 00:11:58.780 --> 00:12:04.800 You see, God continued to display and show his kindness of the children of Israel as they made it through their journey. 00:12:06.300 --> 00:12:11.820 You see, God exercised kindness on David in the midst of his poor decisions as a king. 00:12:12.900 --> 00:12:15.040 You know about those poor decisions that he made. 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:16.640 You know about the sin in his life. 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:24.120 God could have released David into those very decisions, into his own sin, but God chose not to. 00:12:24.760 --> 00:12:28.720 Instead, God kept coming after David because of his kindness. 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:35.320 In David's psalm of praise to the Lord, in Psalm 145, verse 17, we read these words. 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:42.280 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:50.420 Not kind in a portion of his works, not kind in just a little bit of his works, but David says, kind in all his works. 00:12:51.420 --> 00:12:54.540 I would encourage you to go back and read Psalm 145. 00:12:54.640 --> 00:12:58.760 It's a beautiful psalm that David writes about God's kindness. 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:02.920 So how has God's kindness showed up in your life? 00:13:02.920 --> 00:13:09.960 I think that's a good place for you and I to start as we think about we're to reflect the kindness of God, 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:16.880 but also we need to realize and see the kindness that God has shown to you and that God has shown to me. 00:13:18.260 --> 00:13:21.540 So I would encourage you to reflect on that at some point today. 00:13:21.920 --> 00:13:24.560 How has God's kindness showed up in your life? 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:31.000 There's a couple of things that we see and understand also is this, that God's kindness is not limited. 00:13:32.340 --> 00:13:37.680 We should never put limits on God because God's not limited by anything. 00:13:38.560 --> 00:13:42.900 And one of those things we see is the fact that God's kindness is not limited as well. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:47.260 In Luke chapter six, verses 34 and 35, we read these words. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:52.280 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? 00:13:52.940 --> 00:13:59.640 Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount, but love your enemies and do good and lend expecting nothing in return. 00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:03.820 And your reward will be great and you will be sons of the most high. 00:14:04.640 --> 00:14:09.260 For he, God, is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 00:14:11.300 --> 00:14:12.440 Have you ever thought about that? 00:14:12.760 --> 00:14:15.660 You know, we think about God's kindness, God's love. 00:14:15.660 --> 00:14:19.780 We think about God's kindness would be shown to those that love God back. 00:14:20.780 --> 00:14:24.560 We think that God would show kindness to those who also shown kindness. 00:14:25.040 --> 00:14:34.700 But according to what we read here in Luke, we see and we understand that God shows his kindness to the ungrateful and to the evil, those who are evil. 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.380 See, his kindness is not limited by who. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:40.620 It doesn't matter who you are. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:46.120 It doesn't matter where we come from, what our background, none of that matters to God. 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:49.220 His kindness is not limited. 00:14:49.460 --> 00:14:53.240 That should cause you and I to think about our personal kindness then. 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:54.360 Are we limited? 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:55.360 Are we limited? 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:56.880 And sometimes we are, aren't we? 00:14:57.820 --> 00:15:01.360 We're limited by what others do for us, whether or not we show kindness. 00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:07.900 We're limited by the interaction we would have somebody on whether or not we show kindness. 00:15:07.900 --> 00:15:12.620 But according to God's word, God is not limited by his kindness. 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:19.780 So when you and I are to reflect the kindness of God, you know, it's not natural for us to do that. 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:21.040 Maybe I shouldn't say us. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.980 It's not natural for me at times to show kindness. 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:25.720 What about you? 00:15:26.380 --> 00:15:27.140 Is it natural? 00:15:27.980 --> 00:15:36.400 I think we can look in our world and we can look in our society that kindness is not natural, especially when we're in this mode of, I got to get out ahead. 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:45.980 I've got to get in front of, and sometimes we do things and aren't really what we need to be doing as people in general, let alone a follower of Christ. 00:15:47.880 --> 00:15:50.960 See, God calls you and I to reflect his kindness. 00:15:53.260 --> 00:15:57.240 And even in the moments where it doesn't seem natural, we're called to do that. 00:15:58.160 --> 00:15:59.780 You see, kindness is a requirement. 00:16:01.560 --> 00:16:04.100 Look at Micah chapter six, verse eight. 00:16:05.900 --> 00:16:10.480 He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require? 00:16:11.700 --> 00:16:13.080 What does the Lord require? 00:16:14.100 --> 00:16:21.500 Of you, but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. 00:16:23.140 --> 00:16:26.640 To do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with your God. 00:16:26.900 --> 00:16:27.880 To love kindness. 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:31.060 That doesn't mean, you know, I just love kindness and I'm going to be good with it. 00:16:32.400 --> 00:16:36.420 That means I love kindness to the point where it pushes me to do. 00:16:37.140 --> 00:16:44.600 Kindness causes me to do something with my life in reflection to somebody else's need. 00:16:45.400 --> 00:16:50.880 To love kindness is a requirement as we see there in scripture. 00:16:51.040 --> 00:16:56.600 But another thing that we see in God's word related kindness is that you and I are to put on kindness. 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:58.340 Think about that. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:00.780 We're to put on kindness. 00:17:02.660 --> 00:17:18.040 In Colossians 3 verses 12 through 13, we read these words, put on then, plain and simple, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 00:17:18.780 --> 00:17:26.560 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. 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:28.960 Put on then kindness. 00:17:30.600 --> 00:17:34.860 It's like you put it on, like you're putting a piece of clothing on and it stays on. 00:17:36.520 --> 00:17:43.220 If you remember, we talk about, you've read this about the armor of God where you put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness. 00:17:43.600 --> 00:17:46.040 You're putting on the whole uniform of God. 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:51.660 And the idea behind that is once you put it on, you leave it on, you never take it off. 00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:56.440 We can look at that here is that once we put it on, we leave it on. 00:17:57.100 --> 00:17:58.700 We're to put on kindness. 00:18:01.040 --> 00:18:02.580 Who do you spend the most time with? 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:03.780 Think about that for a moment. 00:18:05.580 --> 00:18:08.740 I kind of went off on that path a little bit this week. 00:18:08.840 --> 00:18:10.380 How much, where do I spend all my time? 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:15.160 You know, seven, eight hours of sleep, eight hours of working here at the church. 00:18:15.580 --> 00:18:17.040 Then I've got another eight hours. 00:18:17.120 --> 00:18:18.320 What do I do with that eight hours? 00:18:18.520 --> 00:18:21.260 You know, I'm all the time coming in contact with people, right? 00:18:21.420 --> 00:18:22.880 You go to the grocery store. 00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:25.060 You go to a department store. 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:26.720 You go to a restaurant. 00:18:26.840 --> 00:18:28.120 You go to all these different places. 00:18:28.120 --> 00:18:31.960 So there's encounters that you're having with all this other time. 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.040 Your family needs your kindness. 00:18:38.080 --> 00:18:39.960 Your coworkers need your kindness. 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.500 Your friends need your kindness. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:46.960 Your neighbors need your kindness. 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:51.960 And the everyday passerby needs your kindness. 00:18:54.340 --> 00:18:56.520 You know, sometimes we forget about our family, though. 00:18:57.360 --> 00:18:59.060 A lot of times they don't get our kindness. 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:01.480 They get the blunt end of our day. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:07.740 Or they get the blunt end of our last confrontation that we had or encounter. 00:19:09.420 --> 00:19:21.560 I've got a good friend here at the church that told me one time, sometimes when he comes home from work, he has to park in his driveway and give it several moments, depending on his day, to allow his day to flow in and out. 00:19:22.100 --> 00:19:22.700 Before he goes inside. 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:23.600 Before he goes inside. 00:19:24.040 --> 00:19:25.340 Not a bad practice. 00:19:26.380 --> 00:19:32.920 Because why would we unload and not show kindness to our family just because of the day that we encountered, right? 00:19:34.760 --> 00:19:43.140 God calls us to put on kindness and to show it to everybody, not limited by just our family, not limited. 00:19:43.600 --> 00:19:50.360 You know, we try to put them on maybe the good face in our work environment because we want to make an impression or we want to do what's right. 00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:52.900 And then when we get home, we let down our guard. 00:19:53.020 --> 00:19:55.640 No, we are to show kindness everywhere. 00:19:57.160 --> 00:19:59.420 It could be a word of encouragement spoken. 00:20:00.600 --> 00:20:05.040 It's amazing just the power of encouragement and kindness, what that does. 00:20:05.080 --> 00:20:06.720 It could be a word of thanksgiving. 00:20:08.060 --> 00:20:14.440 Thanking somebody simply for something that they do, whether it be a restaurant, whether it be your kids, whether it even be your spouse. 00:20:14.620 --> 00:20:21.080 When's the last time your spouse, and I'm not saying just the wife or just the husband, whoever happens to do the meal that day. 00:20:21.360 --> 00:20:23.640 When's the last time you said, hey, thanks for that meal? 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:25.880 Because they took time to think about it. 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:27.520 They took time to prepare it, right? 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:36.380 When's the last time you maybe thanked your kid for probably even doing something you had to tell them to do, but you at least said thanks for doing that? 00:20:37.820 --> 00:20:40.180 A word of appreciation expressed. 00:20:41.760 --> 00:20:43.620 A smile reflected at a checkout. 00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:51.120 Now, that's still, in my mind, I'm writing like a research paper, like some type of doctoral, whatever. 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:55.900 I'm not working on a doctorate by no means, but anyways, that sounded good at the moment. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:12.200 On the encounters that I have when I go through a line at like Target or Walmart or Lowe's, and I see what kind of reaction I can get out of the person at the cash register when I simply respond, have a great day as well. 00:21:12.300 --> 00:21:15.760 You know, because most of them are trained to say, you know, have a good day. 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:20.660 Our son's been working at Chick-fil-A, and their response is, my pleasure. 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:25.060 Well, most, he's said it so many times, if you ask them something or say something, my pleasure. 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:26.520 You know, it's just ingrained. 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:31.520 Maybe that's what, you know, we need to do, right, as believers to the point where it's ingrained, right? 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:39.360 But to see what the reaction is when I simply say, thank you, have a great day, I challenge you to practice that. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:46.760 In your mind of the hustle and bustle, get through that checkout as fast as you can, especially if you walk up to the counters, 00:21:46.820 --> 00:21:51.620 and it looks like somebody forgot to tell people they need to be at the cash registers, right? 00:21:52.380 --> 00:22:02.320 Even all the self-checkouts are all backed up, and so you're trying to get through, and take a moment, that one second, just to say some type of interaction. 00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:04.220 You'll be amazed. 00:22:04.360 --> 00:22:08.420 I'm telling you, it happened again the other day, coming through KJs. 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:14.560 I said, I hope you have a great day, and it, like, it shocked this young lady that I even said just that simple phrase. 00:22:16.560 --> 00:22:18.700 What about a door held open for somebody? 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:25.580 Don't forget, the simple expressions of kindness go such a long way. 00:22:27.760 --> 00:22:30.740 How can you show the kindness of the Lord this week? 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:37.920 Another thing that we see is this, allow for interruption so that kindness has an opportunity to show up. 00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:46.060 That was hard for me to even type that into my notes after I had read it, but I thought, 00:22:46.300 --> 00:22:49.260 yep, so, so true. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:52.620 Allow for interruption so that kindness has an opportunity. 00:22:53.620 --> 00:22:55.020 Some of you in here know me. 00:22:55.080 --> 00:22:56.260 I'm a list kind of guy. 00:22:56.460 --> 00:22:57.420 You know, I check things up. 00:22:57.560 --> 00:22:59.040 My family will kind of tell you that. 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:04.380 I mean, if I get an agenda in my head, man, I want to stick with it. 00:23:04.940 --> 00:23:11.140 And for an interruption to happen, oh, just to say that and think about it, man, it just hurts, you know? 00:23:12.820 --> 00:23:14.040 But that's what happens. 00:23:14.040 --> 00:23:18.020 Because interruptions come because a lot of times somebody has a need. 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:21.900 And as a believer in Christ, you and I are to respond to that need. 00:23:22.040 --> 00:23:24.480 It's that opportunity to show kindness. 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:33.040 I look at this as like that's that upper level of kindness because it's quick and easy for me to say, have a great day, right? 00:23:34.060 --> 00:23:41.240 But it's not quick and easy for me to go to my fence when I'm in the backyard working and trying to accomplish my list of what's in the backyard to get done. 00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:43.940 And my neighbor walks by and walks up to the fence. 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:46.340 I'm not talking about just walking by and doing what they're doing. 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:47.880 But they walk by and they stop at the fence. 00:23:49.380 --> 00:23:51.000 Dave, that's time to engage. 00:23:51.860 --> 00:23:55.280 You know, they're wanting to have a conversation about something, right? 00:23:56.080 --> 00:23:58.120 And that means I got to put that on pause. 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:04.960 It's that moment where you realize that you've got to stop what you're doing to meet the need. 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:10.060 You know, that could have been just a simple need of they got something to say because they need somebody to listen. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:12.300 So just listen. 00:24:13.300 --> 00:24:18.620 You see, when we look at Scripture, especially when we look at the New Testament, we see Jesus' interaction. 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:22.620 We see how much Jesus was interrupted, wasn't he? 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.540 Think about that for a moment. 00:24:25.320 --> 00:24:28.720 How many encounters that Jesus had were interruptions? 00:24:30.740 --> 00:24:36.280 You see, he listened, he healed, he engaged with whatever the need called for. 00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:42.280 In Mark chapter 2, as soon as I start talking about this, you'll remember it. 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:46.080 You had four men who took another man who was paralyzed. 00:24:47.100 --> 00:24:51.960 And because it was so crowded in his house where Jesus was teaching and preaching that they said, 00:24:52.080 --> 00:24:53.660 Hey, this is a good idea. 00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:54.960 Let's go up on the roof. 00:24:55.120 --> 00:24:57.520 Let's rip open the roof of this house. 00:24:57.920 --> 00:24:59.480 And let's lower our friend in. 00:25:01.080 --> 00:25:03.240 That's the last thought I would have, right? 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:04.620 But that's what they did. 00:25:05.320 --> 00:25:09.400 Can you imagine Jesus is standing there teaching and stuff starts falling down? 00:25:10.080 --> 00:25:12.760 You know, Jesus could have said, Yo, I'm in the midst of preaching. 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:14.180 Y'all guys need to stop. 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:15.620 We'll get to you later. 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:17.820 And apparently it kept happening, right? 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:21.740 Lowered the man down, lowered him right in front of Jesus. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:23.420 And Jesus stopped what he was doing. 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:24.700 He stopped the preaching and teaching. 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:30.300 And in that moment, in that interruption, he looked at that man and he healed that man in that moment. 00:25:32.280 --> 00:25:37.380 We don't see that he blessed those guys out, that he did anything without the man there, 00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:41.960 other than stopped what he was doing, allowed the interruption, and healed. 00:25:43.020 --> 00:25:47.360 And then Mark chapter 5, Jesus is walking through the crowds. 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:52.060 It's one of those hilarious kind of passages of Scripture when you read it. 00:25:52.060 --> 00:25:58.540 When Jesus is walking through the crowds with his disciples, and he feels something tugged at his robe. 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:00.900 I'm like, oh, great day. 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:01.920 Anybody could have done that. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.000 You know, you walk through a crowd, you're getting bumped and stuff, but he feels it. 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:09.100 And Scripture says he felt power leave him because of that. 00:26:10.120 --> 00:26:11.280 And he says, this is the funny part. 00:26:11.560 --> 00:26:14.920 And he says to his disciples, find out who just did this. 00:26:15.340 --> 00:26:17.060 And the disciples look at him and they kind of go, 00:26:17.360 --> 00:26:21.300 you want us to find out who just tugged at your robe in this crowd? 00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:22.920 That's their response, you know. 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:24.180 And to me, I'm like, that's funny. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.860 That's funny because that might be my response too. 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:27.600 And Jesus says, yes. 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:29.600 Find out who did that. 00:26:30.320 --> 00:26:35.680 In this very moment, we're going to stop and we're going to find out who tugged at my robe. 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:39.660 And he finds that it was a woman who wanted to be healed. 00:26:40.120 --> 00:26:45.940 And she knew if she could just get close enough to Jesus to pull at his robe, that she would be healed. 00:26:46.620 --> 00:26:47.540 And she was. 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:51.980 Jesus allowed for that interruption to take place. 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:54.700 Here's what you and I are. 00:26:54.760 --> 00:26:56.720 Here's what I've discovered that I need to do. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:00.000 Don't squash the interruptions. 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:02.220 Don't squash the interruptions. 00:27:03.220 --> 00:27:06.440 There may be a tendency just to say, I ain't got time for this. 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:11.920 Don't squash the promptings to be kind. 00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:17.760 Maybe it is that God is prompting you to be kind, to interact, to engage. 00:27:19.120 --> 00:27:27.400 Where there is an opportunity to be God's vessel of kindness, you can be guaranteed that there is Satan giving you reasons why not to. 00:27:28.360 --> 00:27:29.400 I'm too busy today. 00:27:29.900 --> 00:27:31.300 I've got an appointment I've got to get to. 00:27:31.580 --> 00:27:33.100 I've got this, this, this, and this. 00:27:33.840 --> 00:27:37.260 Satan's going to whisper in your ear all the reasons on why not to. 00:27:38.520 --> 00:27:41.980 God's prompting your heart to respond to the interruption. 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:43.020 Do it. 00:27:43.600 --> 00:27:44.000 Do it. 00:27:45.320 --> 00:27:48.680 Fanny and I went and saw Top Gun Maverick the other night. 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:51.440 And there's a line in the movie. 00:27:52.080 --> 00:27:55.560 And he said, and Tom Cruise says, and it gets said back to him at the end of the movie. 00:27:55.640 --> 00:27:56.580 I'm not spoiling. 00:27:56.700 --> 00:27:57.520 It's just one of the lines. 00:27:57.880 --> 00:27:59.080 Shouldn't spoil the movie for you. 00:27:59.760 --> 00:28:02.460 But he says in the movie, don't think, just do. 00:28:03.400 --> 00:28:04.800 Don't think, just do. 00:28:06.860 --> 00:28:09.820 I was at Chick-fil-A the other day having lunch with Trish. 00:28:11.540 --> 00:28:15.920 And one of the servers came out from on the counter, you know, trying to carry a bunch of stuff. 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:20.880 And just one of the items on the tray just falls off the tray. 00:28:21.600 --> 00:28:25.160 And out of the corner of my eye, this lady just responded. 00:28:25.360 --> 00:28:28.420 I mean, man, it's like somebody shot her. 00:28:28.600 --> 00:28:30.040 She responded so quick. 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:33.660 There's times in our lives we don't need to think about it. 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:36.800 We just need to respond to what God has placed in front of us. 00:28:37.320 --> 00:28:40.100 And allow for those interruptions to happen in our life. 00:28:40.540 --> 00:28:51.260 But, you know, there's something that we see in God's word that shows us that you and I, when we engage, when we allow the spirit of God to work in and through us, we get benefits from that. 00:28:53.120 --> 00:29:01.260 Proverbs 11, 17 says, a man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. 00:29:02.300 --> 00:29:04.620 A man who is kind benefits himself. 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:15.880 When you and I start practicing kindness, our family, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, you're going to see the repercussions of that in a wonderful, wonderful way. 00:29:17.340 --> 00:29:20.280 Maybe you've got a relationship that's not so great right now. 00:29:20.520 --> 00:29:22.920 You start showing kindness to that person. 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:31.600 Even when it's the hardest thing to do, I guarantee you, God will start working on that relationship, not just with them, but with you, more importantly. 00:29:32.420 --> 00:29:36.800 You see, when you and I engage in kindness, it affects us. 00:29:37.320 --> 00:29:40.700 And it also deepens our relationship with God. 00:29:41.620 --> 00:29:44.380 Proverbs 21, 21 says these words. 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:51.800 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. 00:29:53.480 --> 00:30:02.040 You see, what is being said here about this life is not the life of talking about, man, you're just soaking it all up. 00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:03.080 You're getting everything you want. 00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:04.660 It's not that whatsoever. 00:30:05.820 --> 00:30:15.740 The life that this Proverbs is talking about, the life and the purpose that is found in God, where we get real purpose, where we get true understanding about life. 00:30:17.340 --> 00:30:24.220 When we pursue righteousness and kindness, we find life that can only be found in relationship with God. 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:29.040 In Romans 2, verses 3 through 4. 00:30:29.040 --> 00:30:38.060 Do you suppose, O man, you who judge those who practice such things, and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:47.620 Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 00:30:49.860 --> 00:31:00.160 See, one of the things that God does in your life and in my life when we are exercising His kindness, when we see God's kindness, is it leads us to repentance. 00:31:02.080 --> 00:31:10.600 We realize in those moments that it's because of who God is that I'm even able to do an act of kindness. 00:31:11.780 --> 00:31:15.160 And it reminds me of who God is and who I am. 00:31:15.800 --> 00:31:21.080 In that moment, it reminds me of my sin and God's holiness. 00:31:22.360 --> 00:31:35.460 And it reminds me that I need to seek after the forgiveness and the repentance of the Lord, to make those changes in my life that represent who He is. 00:31:36.380 --> 00:31:44.800 Repentance causes me to change the things that don't look like God in my life, to change the things that look like who God is. 00:31:45.280 --> 00:31:47.040 The fruit of the Spirit. 00:31:48.840 --> 00:31:58.520 When you and I experience the kindness of God, all His qualities that we read throughout Scripture begin to flow in and through our lives. 00:32:02.020 --> 00:32:05.380 There's a well-known theologian, John Stott. 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:09.620 It said that every morning he prayed this prayer. 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:13.820 Every morning, same prayer, over and over. 00:32:15.580 --> 00:32:21.360 Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in Your presence and please You more and more. 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:27.060 Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow You. 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:35.720 Holy Spirit, I pray that this day You will fill me with Yourself and cause Your fruit to ripen in my life. 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:44.600 Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 00:32:45.540 --> 00:32:46.760 Would you join me in prayer? 00:32:51.560 --> 00:32:53.540 Lord, just thank You for Your Word. 00:32:55.560 --> 00:32:56.840 Your Word is living. 00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:58.040 Your Word is active. 00:33:00.780 --> 00:33:07.820 And Lord, it penetrates our heart and our mind and our spirit and it shows us who we need to be. 00:33:10.460 --> 00:33:23.140 Lord, if kindness is a struggle to display in our life, I pray for Your Spirit that You will empower us and strengthen us and push us to let kindness show. 00:33:25.100 --> 00:33:28.840 Father, so many people in our lives just need to see a simple act of kindness. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:33.520 And maybe some people in our lives need to see an extraordinary act of kindness. 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:38.040 But Lord, You know what it is that they need and You know what it is that You need from us. 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:43.180 So Lord, help us just to be in tune with You and what You desire in our life. 00:33:45.700 --> 00:33:48.920 Lord, may we be about living out the fruit of Your Spirit. 00:33:50.420 --> 00:34:00.540 So that all those that we come in contact in this world that is so broken and so desperately wants hope and so desperately needs You, 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:04.560 needs Your love, Your forgiveness, Your mercy, Your grace. 00:34:07.300 --> 00:34:12.180 Lord, we can be that vessel to show them. 00:34:13.940 --> 00:34:15.960 Lord, thank You so much for loving us. 00:34:17.420 --> 00:34:18.840 We ask this prayer in Your name. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:19.800 Amen. 00:34:33.580 --> 00:34:36.680 Thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church Weekly Podcast. 00:34:37.220 --> 00:34:39.520 We hope that you enjoyed listening to this week's message. 00:34:39.800 --> 00:34:43.520 If you'd like to learn more about who we are or explore additional resources, 00:34:43.940 --> 00:34:48.580 visit us online at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:34:48.580 --> 00:34:52.100 or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook and Instagram. 00:34:52.100 --> 00:34:52.520 Thank you.