Performing Random Acts of Kindness
When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said it was to love the Lord your God with all your heart and then added the second most important law was to love your neighbor as yourself (Mathew 24:36). This led to the question of how one is supposed to define the word neighbor and to answer this, Jesus gave them the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The moral of the story was your neighbor is anyone that is in immediate need of help. So, while its good to help friends and family, you should also help strangers too.
Extending a Helping Hand
It is easy to point fingers at the people that acted standoffish in the parable of the good Samaritan instead of extending a helping hand. But the irony is, we probably keep repeating the same mistake even today. Whether it is a stranger at the park or a colleague at the place of work, we all have that person we thought was weird but in reality, they were just in need of some love. What if you had just reached out to them to extend God’s love?
Be More Like Jesus
Jesus demonstrated the love of God to both his friends and strangers on a daily basis. Not just by meeting their spiritual needs but also attending to their physical needs. More often than not, he would attend to both the spiritual and physical needs of the people he met. A classical example of this was when he fed the more than 5,000 people that had been listening to him teach the word for 3 days.
Being Sensitive to Those Around You
As a Christian, you ought to be sensitive to the needs of those around you. Most people are too proud to ask for help but they would appreciate a random act of kindness. And you don’t even have to go out of your way – something as simple as smiling at someone, giving way in traffic, answering agitated persons with kindness, etc. This is how you will show the Christ in you – by being kind to those around you.
The Bible reminds us that some people have entertained angels without knowing. Check it out;
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2
So, don’t frown upon an opportunity to show kindness to others. You just never know who you are ministering to. You might just turn out to entertain an angel without even knowing it. But more importantly, your heavenly father who sees everything you do in secret will for sure reward you in public.
Remember, God created you to be of benefit to those around you. And so, you must always look for an opportunity to be a blessing to others. It might be through giving your resources, your time, or your skills.
Have you ever done a random act of kindness for someone you know – or better still for a stranger?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, forgive me for being too self-centered. Help me to be more sensitive to the needs of others. And help me to know what to do when I met people that might be in need of help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Blessings to you,
John & Jean
Evangeciples