If you don't want to read this lengthy thread, will you consider just scrolling down to the bolded section and humor me with your experiences, please?
Next month, I go to my Grandson's 5th grade class as the mystery reader. My sweet daughters suggested I write a story about kindness because that is a topic of personal importance and interest to me.
Rather than writing the story, I chose a short story about choosing a path. It goes on about choosing wealth, or beauty, or the third path is romantic love. After reading, I then ask the students what is a possible 4th path?
I am going to purpose kindness as a viable option and how it can lead to the highest of places. I honestly believe that kindness is one of God's beautiful attributes.
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin …” Exodus 34:6-7.
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15.
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalm 145:8-9.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23.
“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19.
For praising outloud…
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) …” Ephesians 2:4-5.
“And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34
There are so many verses about our calling to be kind and merciful.....
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
“To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” Job 6:14.
“Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.” Psalm 112:4.
“Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4.
“The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.” Proverbs 11:17.
“A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10.
“He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” Proverbs 14:21.
“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.” Proverbs 14:31.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’” Zechariah 7:8-10.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7.
“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36.
I probably won't be quoting scripture to the students, but I hope to be presenting a good reason to be kind and how it can actually lead us victorious places.
Can you think of an example where your kindness actually took you to new heights...not that it was your goal, but that it had a good outcome for not just the party or parties on the receiving end but also to you, the giver of it, or even an instance you witnessed?
Next month, I go to my Grandson's 5th grade class as the mystery reader. My sweet daughters suggested I write a story about kindness because that is a topic of personal importance and interest to me.
Rather than writing the story, I chose a short story about choosing a path. It goes on about choosing wealth, or beauty, or the third path is romantic love. After reading, I then ask the students what is a possible 4th path?
I am going to purpose kindness as a viable option and how it can lead to the highest of places. I honestly believe that kindness is one of God's beautiful attributes.
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin …” Exodus 34:6-7.
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” Psalm 86:15.
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalm 145:8-9.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23.
“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19.
For praising outloud…
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) …” Ephesians 2:4-5.
“And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34
There are so many verses about our calling to be kind and merciful.....
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
“To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” Job 6:14.
“Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.” Psalm 112:4.
“Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4.
“The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.” Proverbs 11:17.
“A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10.
“He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” Proverbs 14:21.
“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.” Proverbs 14:31.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.’” Zechariah 7:8-10.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7.
“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36.
I probably won't be quoting scripture to the students, but I hope to be presenting a good reason to be kind and how it can actually lead us victorious places.
Can you think of an example where your kindness actually took you to new heights...not that it was your goal, but that it had a good outcome for not just the party or parties on the receiving end but also to you, the giver of it, or even an instance you witnessed?
-
2
- Show all
