The following is an excerpt from Chapter 10 of Compassion – A Call to Take Action which was written by Michal Ann and myself. This is one of the portions I wrote entitled, “It Must Be Personal”. This chapter was the result of an experience I had early one morning when the Holy Spirit opened my ear and whispered to me, “I will have a revival of Kindness.” I remember turning over in bed and sharing it with Michal Ann. Her response, “Well that is what I have been waiting for!” Read this and then let’s pray this into existence in our own neighborhoods, cities, churches and ministries. Ready? Then read and pray on!
A Revival of Kindness
The world needs a revival of kindness today. Imagine what would happen if God’s people began to use their innate creativity to develop ways to show kindness to others. Simple acts of kindness, stemming from the love of God, would effect major changes in people’s lives and the ways people respond to one another. Let’s bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit of kindness!
Here are some random acts of kindness that you might want to consider as you go about your daily routine. You can then move from the natural into the supernatural lifestyle!
- Give an unusually good tip to a server in a restaurant.
- While going through a tollbooth, pay the toll for the driver in the car behind you.
- While in the drive-through line of a fast-food restaurant, pay for the meals that were ordered by the people behind you.
- Give someone a word of encouragement.
- Take time to be a good listener to someone who needs to share his or her circumstances with you.
- Surrender your place in line to someone who seems to be in a hurry, whether in a supermarket, a barbershop, a bank, or elsewhere.
- Ask others if you could pray for them.
- Help an elderly or handicapped person to cross a street.
- Help someone lift a heavy item.
- Leave an anonymous gift on someone’s doorstep.
- Take bags of groceries to a poor family and leave a note that says, “From the Man Upstairs who sees and cares.”
- Invite a stranger to a meal in your home.
- Send cards of encouragement and comfort to the lonely.
- Minister to widows and orphans. (See James 1:27.)
- Invite people to attend church with you.
- Order dessert for a stranger in a restaurant.
- Distribute Bibles and Christian books to people you encounter in your day-to-day activities.
- Volunteer to help in hospitals, schools, libraries, nursing homes, and other facilities.
- Make a meal or bake a cake for a neighbor.
- Tell people about the love of Jesus.
All of these “random acts” of kindness are seeds of compassion that will truly make a difference in the lives of others. Just this week I gave $20 to a homeless man so he would have something to eat. I do not always do this. But I told him about the love of Jesus and to always look up. He took both my money and he received His love! Take a moment now and see if you can come up with ways to express God’s love in personal, practical, and tangible ways. Find something you can do to bless another.
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