July 28 - Desert Discovery
July 28
Desert Discovery
Bible Reading: Psalms 145:17-21
17The Lord is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness in all His works. 18The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. 19He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. 20The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. 21My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever.
SUPPOSE YOU TURNED on the radio tomorrow morning and heard a news flash that said an ancient document had just been discovered in the desert. Now suppose the newsperson said that this document contained new information about God, with accounts of God's activity on earth. What would you do if you learned
• that God created giraffes just so he could make fun of their long necks?
• that God really threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden because He wanted the Garden all to himself?
• that in 4040 B.C., God saw an old lady crossing a city street in Kish and tripped her?
• that God once kicked a dog for no reason at all?
• that when David sang Psalm 23 for the first time, God started throwing rotten tomatoes and said, "Aah, get outta here! Your singing stinks! Get some voice lessons"?
How would you respond to such a discovery? Would you say, "Well, whaddya know?" Or would you say, "That's bogus! I don't believe that God would ever do those things!"
Chances are, you wouldn't believe such a document, would you? You would doubt or dismiss its truthfulness, wouldn't you? But why? Because you know better.
After all, you know that God would never trip old ladies or kick dogs. He wouldn't make fun of a giraffe or heckle a church musician, right? Why? Because those things are contrary to God's nature; they would be "out of character" for Him because God is kind.
The Bible says, "The Lord is righteous in everything he does; He is filled with kindness" (Psalm 145:17, emphasis added). Kindness is part of who He is. Ultimately that's why kindness is right--because God Himself is kind. He commands kindness because He values kindness. Because our Father in heaven is kind, we also should be kind.
REFLECT: Do you think God is kind? How do you know? Has God been kind to you? If so, in what ways? What makes kindness right and unkind attitudes or actions wrong? Name some ways you can reflect God's kindness today.
PRAY: "Heavenly Father, I praise You because You're filled with kindness, and I thank You because You've been so kind to me. Help me to show Your kindness to others today and every day."