Quote from Forum Archives on January 28, 2002, 9:55 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

How many of you are familiar with this passage of scripture?

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And
the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything
is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 9
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen
in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with
you. (Philippians 4:4-9, NIV)

The letters of the apostle Paul are among my favorite readings in
the Bible, and this particular letter is my favorite letter. I
personally think about these words often. What follows is a
message that amplifies one of the important attributes that flows
out of the words above: kindness.

I intend to continue thinking about the things worth thinking
about, and acting with kindness in everything I do. When I fail,
I intend to confess my failure before God, turn away from the
behavior, focus on His Goodness once again, and renew my mind
with these words - with Christ as my focal point.

I pray that your personal thoughts, prayers, and actions, will be
your own, but they will have a similar attitude - humble,
renewed, repentent, ready to love and serve others with kindness.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

============ PCCWeb Daily Sunday, January 27, 2002 Today's
Devotional

Kindness -- The Simplest Act Of All Acts 20:24 - But my life is
worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by
the Lord Jesus -- the work of telling others the Good News about
God's wonderful kindness and love. (NLT)

Romans 12:8 - If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you
have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership
ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a
gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (NLT)

Kindness takes only a moment. Often, kindness does not involve
work, or money, or even a huge commitment to bettering the world.

So why do we not engage in this simple act of beauty more often?
I don't know.

Kindness is picking up the phone and calling a friend or a
relative who is sad, lonely, or depressed, and saying cheerfully,
"I am thinking good thoughts about you," and then simply
listening to them.

Kindness is the cost of a pretty card and a stamp to send a quick
note of encouragement to a person that we have not thought of in
a while.

Kindness is showing up to a church or charity function and
uttering those magical words, "How can I help?"

Kindness is stopping on the street when we see someone in
distress and saying, "May I help you in any way?"

Kindness is the price of a bunch of flowers, and a surprise
half-hour visit to an elderly or ill person.

Kindness is placing a fresh, nutritious sandwich into the cap of
a person on the street, who is begging for money.

Each of us has the capacity to come up with thousands of ideas of
ways by which we can simply, easily, and inexpensively brighten
someone's day. Remember that God brightens every one of our days
by giving us food, health, love, and the very capacity to share
our good fortune. But it is up to each of us to worship God by
acting on that impulse to share.

Prayer: Dear God, open our eyes to the endless possibilities in
front of us to make our corner of the world a better place. Give
us the strength we need to carry our own burdens even as we help
to shoulder the burdens of others. We pray that You will make us
a small light in the world, and a force for kindness, goodness,
and charity, that we may ever share with others the blessings You
have given to us. In Your name. Amen.

Annie Brosgall andrea.brosgall@cibc.com Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Today's Canadian Bible Society Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:12-25
bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Matthew+4:12-25

The PCCWeb Daily Devotional on the Internet The PrayerLine,
Subscription and Feedback features on this page, as well as a
searchable archive of over 1700 past devotionals, are all
accessible through daily.presbycan.ca.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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