Participants: Greg & Jill Morikone (Host), Mollie Steenson & Dee Hilderbrand & Jason Bradley
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW017011A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:06 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today 01:09 family worship, happy Sabbath to you. 01:12 Thank you so very much for joining us 01:15 every day of the week, 01:16 and especially, here for the family worship. 01:17 It's a blessing to come into your home 01:19 and be able to open the Sabbath together. 01:22 How's your week been? 01:23 I know, here at 3ABN, it seems like it's always busy, 01:26 but it's a fun busy, 01:28 and it's neat to see how God is working here 01:29 at the ministry of 3ABN. 01:31 And I know each of you have testimonies too 01:33 of how God is working in your life. 01:36 And you know what's neat, 01:38 I think as we opened the Sabbath, 01:39 that is always a blessing 01:41 to talk to God and say thank you, 01:42 'cause our list of I need this, 01:44 I need that can be kind of long, 01:46 but it's also nice to give God the praise and the glory 01:49 for what He's doing in our own lives personally, 01:51 but anyway, it's been a great week, hasn't it? 01:52 It has been. 01:54 It's always a blessing to do family worship. 01:55 I look forward to sharing with our 3ABN family 01:57 around the table... 01:58 Yes. 01:59 And with you at home. 02:01 You are a part of our 3ABN family 02:02 and we just thank you for joining us, 02:04 want to encourage you to open up your Bibles 02:06 and get ready to share with us 02:08 as we just open up the Sabbath together. 02:10 We want to introduce our 3ABN family 02:13 around the table here. 02:14 I'm gonna start at our far right, 02:16 which would be your left, 02:17 Dee Hilderbrand is 3ABN production coordinator 02:20 and we get to have the privilege of working 02:23 in the same office together too. 02:24 So it's a blessing to have you. That is a joy. 02:27 Thank you for inviting me to join you. 02:28 It's great. And we appreciate you, Dee. 02:30 I work with you, I work closely with you 02:32 because we work on a lot of schedules 02:33 and calendars and all that sort of stuff 02:36 and it's a blessing. 02:37 You do a great job. Bet she does. 02:38 And when I say this, I don't mean to say 02:40 that you're getting up in age, 02:41 but you've been here long time at 3ABN 02:43 and you have been a tremendous blessing 02:45 to countless people, not only here, 02:47 but around the world, Dee, isn't that, 02:49 it's a blessing, isn't it, to be a part of this ministry? 02:51 It's true, it makes you want to stay in the ministry 02:53 and keep doing things, 02:55 but if I'm able to give to others 02:57 just because I've been given to. 02:59 Amen. 03:00 He's a great boss, but don't tell him. 03:03 It's just... 03:04 I have a great team, let me say that. 03:05 You do but everybody works together 03:08 and if God is in the center, 03:10 God is in the center of production, 03:12 and we all pull together, 03:14 and He pulls us closer to each other, 03:15 and it is a joy working together. 03:17 And we accomplish so much through him, 03:20 'cause us few little humans can do everything that we do. 03:23 And, of course, sitting next to you, 03:24 we answer, of course, to Danny 03:26 'cause he's the founder and president, 03:27 but Mollie is vice president and general manager, 03:29 and wears, I don't know how many hats, 03:31 but, Mollie, we appreciate you, I mean, just an amazing way. 03:34 I don't even only think words could describe... 03:36 That's right. 03:37 How much we appreciate you as much 3ABN. 03:39 God has graced and gifted you for the position you're in. 03:43 Oh, y'all encourage me. Thank you so much. 03:44 And I wanted to say this to Dee. 03:46 Yeah. 03:47 Last evening, Hal and I were talking 03:49 and he asked me about Dee. 03:51 And I said, "Oh, Dee is doing good." 03:53 And you know, how much you're working 03:55 and that sort of thing. 03:56 And he said, "She's my favorite person 03:58 besides you at 3ABN." 04:00 That's what my husband said about you. 04:02 That's 'cause I talk back to him. 04:06 I gave him great joy of giving him challenges. 04:10 We have a great time though at 3ABN, 04:12 I think together it's... 04:13 Laughter. Yeah, we do. 04:15 You know, lot of us we go to church together, 04:16 we work together, and it's really, it's fun. 04:18 Yes, it is. 04:20 It's a blessing to be at ministry together. 04:21 And, Mollie, you've seen 3ABN 04:23 almost since the very beginning or since the beginning, 04:25 because you guys donated cameras, 04:26 you were involved with working with Danny years ago. 04:29 Yeah, I knew Danny before there was a 3ABN 04:32 and this is an honest true statement, 04:35 what you see is what you give. 04:36 What you saw before 3ABN, 04:38 it's the same Danny you see today. 04:40 He's aged some, he's mellowed some, 04:43 he's grown in the Lord tremendously, 04:45 but he was always a man of faith 04:47 and a man of the word. 04:49 Yeah. I'll agree with that. 04:50 Yeah, that's for sure. 04:52 Who's sitting next to you, sweety? 04:53 We have Jason Bradley, our brother in Jesus. 04:57 And neighbor to you in the offices, 04:59 but, Jason, you are assistant to your mom, 05:01 to general manager of the Dare to Dream network. 05:04 And it's just the joy to have you. 05:05 We appreciate your heart for God 05:07 and just your spirit of service 05:09 and joy that you bring to the office. 05:11 Praise the Lord. 05:12 I'm happy to be here and you can't tell that 05:15 Danny is getting old on the basketball court. 05:20 He can't. Still moves around. 05:22 Oh, yeah, still gets around very, very well. 05:25 And, Dee, 05:26 you are what I'd like to call one stop shop. 05:31 You need your car fix, call Dee, 05:32 if you need to learn 05:34 how to schedule something, call Dee, 05:35 if you need anything, call Dee, 05:37 she'll face, she'll work it out. 05:38 Yeah, but I don't do all this stuff, 05:40 I just direct, I'm good at directing. 05:43 You know where to go. 05:44 Coordinating, I'm a coordinator. 05:46 Yes, you are. That's right. 05:47 But the joy at 3ABN comes from our laughter 05:50 and our joy is God centered, it's not people centered. 05:54 We're not making fun of someone, 05:57 our laughter doesn't come from people, 05:59 it comes from a true joy of serving 06:02 and the kind of Godly laughter 06:04 that He intended for us to have. 06:07 Amen. Yeah, very true. 06:08 You know, here at 3ABN, 06:10 you know, we try and lay our plans out 06:11 for the week or the month or the year, 06:13 and I've also learned here that you had to be sort of flexible 06:16 even during the week 06:18 and we lay these calendars and plans, 06:19 and what we want to do, 06:21 but, boy, things happen all the time. 06:22 So God is working on me to make me flexible 06:24 and just go with His plan, not my plan. 06:27 So it's a blessing working together. 06:29 That's why God put erasers on the end of the pencils, 06:32 so we can change our plans. 06:34 Amen. 06:35 You see what I'm saying here, this is we call it Mollieisms, 06:38 I mean, wasn't that great? 06:39 That was just great. 06:41 Even just this week here at 3ABN, 06:43 now Mollie and I just sat down 06:44 and just had some great meetings together. 06:46 And I just always appreciate her encouragement 06:49 and words of wisdom that come from the Lord Jesus Christ. 06:51 Amen. Gossips are little different. 06:53 Go ahead, you're gonna say something. 06:54 We do, I was just gonna say, we're so glad, 06:56 you're part of our 3ABN family. 06:57 We've been sharing about how we share as 3ABN family, 07:01 but you are a part of our 3ABN family as well. 07:04 We are just so glad that you have joined us 07:06 and tonight we're talking about the subject of kindness, 07:11 which is powerful, 07:12 because I just think a kind and lovable Christian 07:16 is such a powerful argument in favor of Christianity, 07:20 and on previous family worships, 07:22 I know for Greg and I, we have talked about 07:24 some of the fruits of the spirit, 07:25 we've had family worships on love, 07:27 and joy, and peace, and patience, 07:29 even self control, 07:31 and now this one is on kindness. 07:32 So we're excited about that. 07:34 But before we get into our topic, 07:35 we're gonna do something different, aren't we? 07:36 We are. 07:38 And I actually want to go back just a little bit, 07:39 so I hope we're not confusing you too much, 07:40 we are talking about you being our family 07:42 and I know Mollie can attest to this, 07:43 Jill and others. 07:45 But send your letters to us, emails or just, 07:48 it's always good to hear from you, 07:50 and we receive a lot of mail, don't we, Mollie at 3ABN. 07:53 But the letters are read and so it's not just okay, 07:57 you know, you think okay, they just come to 3ABN, 07:59 they're just putting do not answer box 08:01 or just thrown in the bin. 08:03 We appreciate hearing from you. 08:04 So whatever it is, send us a letter and email, 08:07 and we do enjoy hearing from you, 08:08 'cause you are part of our family. 08:11 By going to music, we're not really gonna be singing. 08:13 We're not. 08:14 We're going to do, 08:15 we don't have Tim Parton at the piano, 08:17 so but not only just 'cause of that, 08:19 because we thought it's nice to change it up 08:21 and do something different. 08:22 So instead of singing a song, 08:24 we're going to read a psalm of praise to God. 08:28 I know it sounds like song, doesn't it? 08:29 It does. 08:31 A psalm of praise to God, 08:32 because the psalms really were meant to be sung. 08:35 And their words of praise 08:38 and adoration to our Father in heaven. 08:40 So open up your Bibles, 08:41 we're gonna have the words of the Psalm on the screen, 08:45 so you can follow along, 08:46 and we're going to Psalm 145. 08:50 Yeah, And we're gonna go around the circle 08:52 we have divided this up, I think I'll do the 21 verses. 08:55 So we're gonna start with Dee 08:57 and we'll just go around the circle, 08:59 so hopefully you're joining us, Psalm 145. 09:01 And they can read along with us, so there is a... 09:04 Yeah, that's right, Dee. 09:05 We're raising praise to the Lord 09:06 and they can join us in now. 09:08 We should pray, shouldn't we 09:09 before we start reading God's words? 09:10 Oh, yeah. Thank you so much. 09:12 Yeah. 09:13 Thank you, Jason, I saw you mouthing it over there, 09:15 so yeah, good thought. 09:16 We need to pray. Yeah, so apology. 09:17 Yeah, let's pray up before opening God's word, 09:19 we wanna invite the Holy Spirit, 09:20 Jesus to join us, yeah, in our worships. 09:21 Brother Jason, yeah. Sure. 09:23 Would you mind opening in prayer? 09:24 Absolutely. 09:26 Dear heavenly Father, 09:27 we thank You for the opportunity 09:28 and the privilege of worshiping you 09:30 with our 3ABN family, 09:31 we ask that You would fill this studio 09:32 with Your Holy Spirit that You would lead and guide us 09:35 and tell all truth 09:36 and that You would also be with the viewers at home 09:38 as they study Your word as well, 09:40 in Jesus' name we pray. 09:42 Amen. Amen. 09:43 Thank you. 09:45 Now to Psalm 145. 09:47 Psalms 145:1, 09:49 "I will extol You, my God, O King, 09:53 And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 09:56 Every day I will bless You, 09:58 And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 10:02 God is Great, Great is the Lord, 10:06 and greatly to be praised. 10:07 And His greatness is unsearchable. 10:11 One generation shall praise Your works to another. 10:14 And shall declare Your mighty acts." 10:17 Verse 5, "I will meditate 10:19 on the glorious splendor of Your majesty. 10:22 And on Your wondrous works. 10:24 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts. 10:27 And I will declare Your greatness. 10:30 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, 10:32 And shall sing of your righteousness. 10:35 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. 10:38 Slow to anger and great in mercy. 10:42 Amen. 10:43 I'm starting with verse 9, 10:44 "The Lord is good to all, 10:46 And His tender mercies are over all His works. 10:51 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, 10:53 And Your saints shall bless You. 10:56 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, 10:59 And talk of Your power. 11:02 To make known to the sons of men 11:03 his mighty acts, 11:05 And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 11:08 Verse 13, 11:09 "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 11:12 And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 11:16 The Lord upholds all who fall, 11:19 And raises up all who are bowed down. 11:21 The eyes of all look expectantly to You, 11:25 And You give them their food in due season. 11:28 You open Your hand 11:29 And satisfy the desire of every living thing. 11:34 Verse 17, 11:35 "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, 11:37 Gracious in all His works. 11:39 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, 11:41 To all who call upon Him in truth. 11:44 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him. 11:47 He also will hear their cry and save them. 11:49 The Lord preserves all who love Him, 11:52 But all the wicked He will destroy. 11:54 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, 11:56 And all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever. 12:01 Amen. Amen. 12:04 What an amazing Psalm. It is. 12:06 You know, it would have been neat to have heard it sung, 12:07 because like you mentioned, 12:09 these psalms were meant to be sung as songs, 12:12 like I'm sure, in David's time, 12:13 and I'm sure generations passed. 12:15 Boy, I got a great scripture that the Lord is gracious. 12:18 I think, Mollie, you're reading that 12:19 and full of compassion. 12:21 Slow to anger and great in mercy. 12:24 I'm so grateful for God's mercy toward me. 12:27 Because I'm definitely a sinner in need of mercy and grace, 12:30 but, boy, He has forgiven my sins, 12:32 you know, as we ask for that 12:34 and He does and cleanses us, it's a great psalm. 12:36 Amen. It is. 12:37 It's powerful, as we transition into kindness, 12:40 I'm so thankful for the Lord's 12:42 loving kindness toward each one of us. 12:45 As we talk about kindness, first of all, 12:47 let's just kind of establish what is kindness, 12:50 we'll look at a definition. 12:51 Let's look at maybe a definition 12:54 from maybe dictionary, 12:55 and then we'll look at a biblical definition, 12:57 and see if they're the same or different. 12:59 So first of all, what would be 13:01 just a regular definition of kindness? 13:03 The quality of being friendly, generous, 13:07 and considerate really. 13:09 I like that. Oh, that's good. 13:10 Did you find something, Mollie? 13:12 Behavior marked by a pleasant disposition 13:15 and concern, and caring for others, 13:19 it is known as a virtue, 13:21 selfless concern for the welfare of others, 13:24 and that's what I thought maybe capsuled it, 13:27 just concern for others. 13:29 Absolutely. 13:31 It's putting the other person first. 13:36 Putting their feelings, 13:38 their needs in front of your own. 13:42 So what's the opposite do you think of kindness, 13:44 I mean, obviously you have unkindness, 13:46 but what something else, 13:47 what would you think of is an opposite? 13:49 Selfishness. Selfishness. 13:51 Harsh honesty. Harsh? 13:53 Ooh. 13:54 You said honesty? Harsh honesty. 13:56 Oh, harsh honesty. 13:58 Lack in tact maybe or something. 14:00 That's interesting. I hadn't thought of that. 14:02 Yeah. I think sometimes anger. 14:04 Maybe sometimes the opposite, maybe of kindness. 14:09 We know that the law of the universe 14:12 is what self-sacrificing love. 14:15 What is the opposite of self-sacrificing love, 14:18 that selfishness. 14:20 And who exemplified a self-sacrificing love, 14:23 of course, that's the Lord Jesus Christ. 14:25 Amen. Amen. Very true. 14:27 Why do you think is the purpose of kindness? 14:32 I think it's to bring honor and glory to God 14:35 by reflecting His character to others. 14:37 Nice. Okay. 14:39 It also lifts other people up. 14:43 Being kind to them... 14:46 You mean encourages them? Encourages them. 14:48 Okay. Yeah. 14:50 It encourages them. 14:52 Do you think kindness can break down barriers? 14:55 Absolutely. 14:57 You know, maybe, you meet someone 14:58 who is a little difficult or a little abrasive. 15:01 Now if you respond with difficulty or abrasiveness 15:05 that wall begins to build 15:07 between you and the other person. 15:08 But if you react with kindness, 15:11 I think kindness works like to melt 15:13 that to break that down 15:15 and to bring us back into unity. 15:17 It's like, what does a soft answer do? 15:20 Turns away wrath. It turns away wrath. 15:22 Soft answer. It softens a hard heart. 15:25 Yes, yes. 15:27 Even in the Bible when we look at Romans 2:4. 15:32 Romans 2, let me turn there real quick. 15:33 I like this verse. 15:35 Oh, all right. You know, when you get it... 15:37 What was the verse? 4, verse 4. 15:41 Chapter. I'm in Acts still. 15:43 Romans 2:4. 15:45 Yes, this was really good. I read this, I was like, wow! 15:49 Yes. That is very kind. 15:52 And when we're talking about 15:54 how kindness breaks down barriers. 15:57 I think that really applies to this right here. 16:00 "Or despisest thou" this is form the King James Version. 16:03 "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness 16:05 and forbearance and longsuffering, 16:07 not knowing that the goodness of God 16:09 leadeth thee to repentance?" 16:11 You have New King James, right? 16:13 Will you read what it says there? 16:15 "Do you despise the riches of His goodness, 16:17 forbearance, and longsuffering, 16:19 not knowing that the goodness of God 16:21 leads you to repentance?" 16:23 So it's breaking down barriers in it. 16:25 Yes. 16:26 That He's pointing out his kindness 16:28 to lead us to repentance, 16:29 because His ultimate goal is for us 16:31 to spend eternity with Him. 16:33 Yes. Amen. 16:35 Let's look at kindness as a fruit of the spirit, 16:37 since we mentioned fruit of the spirit at the beginning. 16:39 This is in Galatians. 16:43 And we've read this before in our program, 16:44 but it's a wonderful scripture 16:46 'cause God wants to work out His fruit in our lives, 16:50 we're in Galatians 5. 16:52 No, there's obviously a reason why kindness is important. 16:56 I know, Mollie, you had a good quote, 16:58 didn't you that kind of while we're turning to this? 17:00 Do you want to read that? Yeah. 17:01 I can read that quote. 17:03 In Galatians 5 we'll return to that. 17:04 And to say also kindness 17:07 is just so closely identified 17:11 with the other fruit of the spirits, 17:13 a lot of in the mercies. 17:14 But let me read this quote, 17:16 it's out of My Life Today, page 183. 17:20 "Kindness and love and courtesy are the marks of the Christian. 17:25 In our association with each other, 17:28 let it be ever remembered 17:31 that there are chapters in the experience of others 17:35 that are sealed from mortal eyes. 17:37 There are sad histories 17:40 that are written in the books of heaven, 17:42 but are sacredly guarded from prying eyes. 17:47 There stand registered long, 17:49 hard battles with trying circumstances, 17:53 arising in the very homes..." 17:55 We don't know what happened with people even this morning. 18:00 "That day by day sap the courage, the faith, 18:03 the confidence, until the very manhood 18:06 seems to fall to ruins. 18:08 But Jesus knows it all, and He never forgets. 18:12 To such, words of kindness 18:16 and of affection 18:17 are welcome as the smile of angels. 18:20 A strong, helpful grasp of the hand of a true friend 18:25 is worth more than gold and silver." 18:27 So we can see someone that they look just fine. 18:32 But what we don't know is how fragile they are 18:35 because we don't know 18:36 what they have just gone through. 18:39 I was using Jason as the example. 18:42 We don't know what you went through this morning. 18:46 How badly you may have been treated or what, 18:49 but you come to work 18:51 and then if we give you a harsh word, 18:53 then we could just be really damaging. 18:57 So we need to be considerate and kind at all times. 19:01 You know, at the very end there, Mollie, 19:02 too mentioned that I think, 19:04 basically you can't put a price on it, 19:05 what did it say about gold and silver? 19:06 It said... 19:08 A strong, helpful grasp of the hand of a true friend 19:12 is worth more than gold and silver. 19:14 Don't we know that to be true? That is very true. 19:16 Yeah. Very true. 19:19 The qualities you mentioned at the very beginning, 19:21 it said, love, was it mercy, kindness, 19:24 the once at the very beginning... 19:25 Kindness, and love, and courtesy. 19:27 Courtesy. Courtesy. 19:28 Kindness are the marks of the Christian. 19:30 Amen. 19:32 It reminds me of I know we're going to Galatians 5, 19:34 but it just made me think of this Luke 6. 19:37 Luke 6. 19:38 It seems like, in the Bible, 19:40 kindness is often connected with other words, 19:43 and what you mentioned there 19:44 from Ellen White connecting it with courtesy and with love, 19:48 so let's go to... 19:55 Luke 6:35-36. 19:58 Jesus is talking. 20:00 This is part of the Sermon on the Mount, 20:02 right after the beatitudes 20:03 "Love your enemies, do good, 20:05 and lend, hoping for nothing in return, 20:08 and your reward will be great, 20:10 and you will be sons of the Most High, 20:13 for He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 20:16 Therefore, be merciful, 20:18 just as your Father also is merciful." 20:20 And to me those three words, almost overlapped. 20:23 We see love, kindness, and mercy. 20:27 And you see the connection of them. 20:28 That's good. 20:30 You know, it's interesting that you went there, 20:33 like I wasn't thinking about that particular verse, 20:36 but I was thinking about drawing a point with... 20:40 as it pertains to that. 20:43 Just the motive behind our kindness, 20:46 you know what is our reason for our kindness, 20:49 are we doing it, 20:51 because we have the love of Christ 20:52 or we're being kind, because we want something. 20:54 In return. 20:56 Am I being kind to you, 20:57 because I want to get some food, 21:03 or am I might be kind to you 21:05 because I want to get a ride somewhere or whatever? 21:08 Why are we being kind, 21:09 is it genuine kindness or is there an ulterior motive? 21:14 You know, I have got a statement here. 21:17 I don't know, why I pulled it, but it fits in with this. 21:19 Great. 21:20 It's fine to know the truth, the three angels' messages, 21:24 the state of the dead 21:25 and be able to explain 21:27 the investigative judgment with eloquence, 21:31 but ask yourself this question, 21:33 how do you treat others, 21:35 especially, those who were under you 21:38 or those who can do nothing for you, 21:41 that is those who have nothing to offer you in return, 21:45 the answer to that question speaks volumes 21:49 about our character. 21:51 Yes. 21:52 It really does. That's a good point. 21:54 I'm not sure the kindness can be phoney, 21:57 I think if you're being, you can being, 21:59 if you want something, 22:00 you're nice to them or you're polite, 22:02 but I think kindness has to come 22:05 from the very inner part soul of you. 22:08 Everything else, if it's not true kindness, 22:11 it is politeness, it's courtesy, 22:13 it's manipulation, it's all the negative things. 22:16 But kindness comes from the very core of you, 22:19 and I'm wondering if it can be a stepping stone 22:23 to leading to the mercy and the love, 22:27 sometimes it can say what, you know, 22:29 you're trying to grow as a Christian. 22:31 So you're like, I'm going to be loving, 22:34 I'm gonna be merciful, but if you say, I'm going... 22:39 instead of saying I'm not gonna get angry today, 22:41 if you have whatever your issue is, 22:44 instead of saying, 22:45 I am going to work on being kind to somebody, 22:49 maybe you have a problem with them, instead of saying, 22:52 "Well, I'm gonna love Jason" 22:54 I'm gonna say, "Well, I'm gonna be kind to Jason." 22:57 So kindness might be a stepping stone, 23:00 that you can take to grow in your Christian walk 23:04 to get to where you want to be of having the mercy 23:07 and the love with he whole package, 23:10 the all of them. 23:11 Yeah, that's well said, Dee. 23:12 There is this, I'm not gonna say it's a movement, 23:14 but it's just this called random acts of kindness 23:19 where people just look for somebody 23:23 to randomly be kind to. 23:25 What an impact that would have on the little mother 23:28 that really didn't have enough money 23:30 to pay for that bill at the restaurant. 23:33 A random act of kindness 23:36 and we need to maybe everyday 23:41 consciously say to our self, 23:43 I'm gonna find somebody to do something kind for, 23:47 until it becomes a habit. 23:49 Look, you and I were studying not too long ago, 23:51 how long it takes for something to become a habit, 23:54 it was 21 days for some things. It was... 23:57 Was it a glass of water, drinking water? 23:58 Yeah, to drink a glass of water 24:01 first thing in the morning didn't take very long. 24:03 Some things it took a really long time. 24:06 But if we consciously say to our self every morning, 24:09 I'm going to find somebody to do a random, 24:12 to be randomly kind to. 24:15 I think it would change our whole outlook on life. 24:18 It changes who you are. I like that. 24:20 You no longer think, 24:21 "Well, I have to do something kind for someone." 24:24 It just becomes who you are. 24:27 And then that comes with the love and the mercy, 24:30 you just grow into that 24:32 by making a specific decision of following the fruits. 24:37 And that's what I think. 24:38 It's fun, that's a good challenge, Mollie, 24:40 far as doing a random act of kindness 24:41 because it's fun actually to do that, isn't it? 24:43 I mean sometimes, you know, 24:44 when you just do something like that actually is encouraging 24:46 and makes you feel better too. 24:48 I think, 'cause that's the way God wants us to be. 24:51 Yeah, I really do. 24:52 Double blessing. It is. 24:53 Yeah, blessing for them and... Blessing for you. 24:56 Yeah. That's very true. 24:58 Can you go back to Galatians? Let's go back. 25:01 Sorry, that was a detour. 25:03 It was a good detour, I like it a lot. 25:05 It's a blessing. 25:06 Galatians 5:22-23. 25:10 Who has that, who wants to read that? 25:13 Five, go ahead, Jason. Okay. 25:15 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 25:18 longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, 25:20 faith, meekness, temperance. 25:22 Against such there is no law." 25:24 So your word for gentleness is translated in New King James 25:27 as kindness, is that right? 25:29 'Cause mine says "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 25:32 longsuffering, kindness, goodness." 25:34 Okay, yeah. So mine is gentleness. 25:36 Gentleness, okay. Yeah, so is mine. 25:38 If you look at the original Greek word 25:40 for that word for kindness 25:41 or gentleness as King James translates it. 25:45 It means they said that, "No adjective in English 25:50 specifically encompasses what it means in the Greek." 25:54 So we could translate it gentleness or kindness, 25:57 but we're still not perfectly encapsulating 26:00 what it really means. 26:02 It means being useful, gentle, pleasant, kind, 26:06 kindness that is serviceable. 26:09 And the word it means something that's useful, to be useful, 26:14 a virtue that is ready, 26:16 willing to do good for other people. 26:18 So that really encompasses any of our English words 26:21 and we just say kindness or gentleness, 26:24 but it's really I think the act of being ready 26:27 or willing to do good for other people. 26:29 Maybe to serve or to have a servant's heart. 26:31 Yes, yes. Yeah, that's good. 26:33 Yeah, absolutely. 26:36 You know, I wonder, is it... 26:37 Go ahead, Dee. It's an action. 26:39 Yes. Kindness. 26:40 There you go. I like the action. 26:42 Action. I like that. 26:44 You know, is it, I don't know, if there is even a difference, 26:46 you think it's harder to be kind to people we know, 26:50 or people we don't know? 26:51 That's a good question. 26:53 I almost think it's harder to be kind to people 26:55 that we actually know 26:57 because we have a tendency 26:58 to take advantage of their love for us, 27:02 their understanding, I'm little agitated. 27:06 So if I'm not kind to Kathy, she'll forgive me, 27:12 but this person I don't know over there 27:15 doesn't know me either, 27:17 they don't know how I normally am 27:18 so I'm gonna be careful 27:20 that they see the best side of me. 27:23 We're more willing to show the worst side of us 27:26 to people who love and forgive us 27:29 and that's too bad 27:30 because we really need to give them 27:34 our very, very best, our kindness always. 27:39 And I've noticed in the office when all of us, 27:44 when we chose to be kind to each other, 27:48 to reach out or ask a question or a request, 27:51 if it's done in kindness, 27:54 it just spreads out there. 27:57 It multiplies. 27:59 And if we're in a hurry 28:01 and little stressed or agitated, and we go, 28:03 "Can you take care of this please?" 28:05 That spreads out there too, so... 28:09 You know, and I hate to say this 28:11 but I guess confession is good for the soul. 28:12 On Monday of this week, 28:14 I was really sharp with an employee, 28:16 you know, in production of this week, 28:18 and he bothered me all night, 28:19 you know, when you wake up, 28:20 it's kind of one of those things 28:22 so, you know, we have corporate worship Tuesday morning. 28:24 And so before worship starts like, 28:25 God, I got to talk to this person 28:27 so, you know, and when I talked to him, 28:29 he said, "Yeah, it really caught us off guard." 28:30 You know, you're always trying to be kind and unfortunately, 28:34 yeah. 28:35 So, yeah. 28:37 You know, he asked for forgiveness to them of God 28:39 'cause it's so easy, I mean not easy, 28:40 we go to God, God, forgive me, 28:42 I shouldn't have responded, bam, 28:43 just like that and be sharp with my tongue. 28:46 But you also have to go to that person 28:48 because you know, they'd received it well, 28:51 but you know, it wasn't, 28:52 I could have said it in a much better way. 28:55 And so I wasn't kind to them, but I don't know. 28:59 No, Jill, something that I've noticed, 29:01 and I know, you've noticed it too 29:03 because you take a lot of the phone calls. 29:06 Jill and I take the agitated phone calls. 29:08 We do get a few of those here at 3ABN. 29:11 Not whole lot, but we do get some. 29:13 And it is so disarming to the caller 29:17 if they're ranting and raving or whatever 29:20 and you respond, well, 29:21 I'm gonna say with the soft answer. 29:23 That's right. 29:24 But with kindness and with concern 29:26 and it just takes the sting out of them 29:30 if said soft. 29:31 Yeah, they actually had a reply to me, 29:33 which I think it comes from Proverbs 15, isn't it? 29:34 "Soft answer turns away wrath". 29:36 So they had replied very, just I was like, oh, man, 29:40 it's convicting, you know, like, 29:41 oh, well, you know I tend to be sharp that way 29:43 with on that very particular instance 29:45 and so, yeah, that's right. 29:46 A soft answer can definitely turn away wrath for sure. 29:50 But they could easily accept your apology 29:52 because that's not your character, 29:54 that's not who you are. 29:55 Well, God's working, you know, in many areas, 29:57 you know, in all of our lives, but in my life too. 29:59 And I've heard Mollie and Jill both on the phone with someone 30:03 who is stressed 30:05 and it is coming from the very depth of them, 30:08 I mean, where they're kind, their kindness is actually 30:15 trying to get to the root of the person, 30:17 it's an action of actually trying to help them. 30:20 And I think that's why it's usually successful 30:23 because they're not just being kind, to be kind, 30:27 or try to get him to calm down. 30:29 It is a true heart of the spirit, of an action, 30:33 of actually trying to help that person. 30:36 That's good. 30:37 So I think that kindness makes it different 30:41 if you'd just not given him... 30:43 And what I was also thinking in terms, 30:45 I try to remember my train of thought here, 30:46 but, you know, we're talking about people 30:47 that we know versus people that we don't know 30:49 and so, you know, I thank the Lord 30:51 that I had the opportunity to go back 30:52 and ask for forgiveness. 30:53 But some of these people, 30:55 you know, sometimes maybe I'm tending to be, 30:56 I mean I don't tend to be but sometimes we can be rude, 30:58 maybe a storm, we don't want to see this person... 30:59 And you are not a rude person, sweetie. 31:02 I just want to put that out there right now, okay. 31:04 But, you know, we can at different circumstances, 31:06 we're in the storm, that's right, 31:08 in different circumstances in life 31:09 we maybe come across one person one time in a airport line, 31:13 you know, whatever. 31:14 And so sometimes, 31:16 we don't have the opportunity to even go back. 31:17 So I think how we represent Jesus 31:20 'cause that's really what we're here for in this life 31:22 to be a representation for the Lord Jesus Christ 31:25 for Him to flow through us to others 31:27 that we come in contact with whether it's people 31:29 that we, our family we live with, 31:30 the people we work with, people we will never see again. 31:34 Mollie, you're talking about we don't know 31:35 what some of these people are going through 31:37 on that particular day 31:38 and we can be that word of encouragement 31:40 to give them hope. 31:42 I wanna go back to the phone calls 31:44 because this has happened a few times, 31:48 you know, few years ago I got a bad diagnosis 31:51 and me personally I had kept to myself 31:54 and just had about a few, 31:56 but my husband put it at on the worldwide prayer chain. 32:00 And so the whole world knows 32:02 that I've got some health issues and... 32:05 So I would get these agitated phone calls 32:07 and so we calm them down, 32:11 talk with them, do everything I knew to help. 32:14 And on more than one occasion, 32:17 at the end after we worked through everything, 32:20 the person will just I've had them say to me, 32:22 "You know, Mollie, 32:23 my wife and I pray for you every night." 32:25 Wow. So just think about this. 32:27 What if I had not responding kindly to somebody 32:31 that's praying for me every night? 32:33 I'll thank God, the Father by the power of His spirit 32:38 would help my response to be what it should be. 32:42 It's only through God by the power of His spirit 32:45 because in us there is really no good thing. 32:48 But only if we we're submitted to God. 32:49 Amen. 32:51 Then who do we hear 32:52 when we're not kind to each other or to a stranger, 32:55 who are we hurting really, who are we...? 32:58 Hurt Jesus. 32:59 Yes. 33:01 We are hurting Jesus and His reputation. 33:05 Yeah. 33:07 'Cause we're supposed to represent 33:08 the character of Jesus. 33:09 That's right. 33:11 You know, that's the fruit of the spirit 33:12 where God calls us to possess 33:14 and to have in our hearts and in our lives. 33:16 I think, I wanna go to one scripture 33:18 and look at God's kindness toward us 33:20 and then we've been talking about kindness toward others 33:22 and we need to make sure 33:23 we look at scriptures for that too. 33:25 But the one scripture God's kindness toward us, 33:27 the one, one of my favorites is Jeremiah. 33:30 Jeremiah 31:3. 33:33 And often, when I quote this scripture 33:35 I just think of it with the love part. 33:38 God has loved us with an everlasting love 33:40 but I don't process the kindness part. 33:42 True. 33:44 We do tend to think of the love aspect of this verse. 33:46 And not the kindness. Do you have that? 33:48 Yeah. Jeremiah 31:3. 33:50 Go ahead, Mollie. 33:52 "The Lord has appeared of old to me, 33:53 saying, yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love, 33:57 therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.' 34:01 Amen. Wow. 34:02 Amen. 34:04 We were talking about kindness breaking down barriers 34:06 and you read that verse from Romans 2, Jay. 34:08 And I like this one 'cause it's the same thing. 34:11 God, His loving kindness draws us to Himself, 34:16 breaks down like my hard heart, my heart of stone. 34:20 And you think, sweetheart, even in that experience, 34:22 where you went back to that person on Tuesday 34:24 and apologized, 34:26 that's the loving kindness of God, 34:27 drawing your heart and saying, 34:29 I want you as my son to act in this way 34:31 in a way to be kind. 34:32 So God works on us and then we in turn reach out 34:35 and work on other people. 34:37 Absolutely. 34:38 All of my life, when I was harsh to God, 34:43 when I rejected Him 34:44 and, but, yeah, when I was in trouble, 34:46 I returned to Him 34:49 and this verse resonates within my heart so much 34:55 because even when I was out there 34:57 and not His daughter, and acting rebellious. 35:01 When I get in trouble and turned to him, 35:04 whether it was, 35:05 whether I felt physically endangered 35:07 or emotional or psych, whatever it was, 35:10 I never once did not God respond to me 35:15 in loving kindness. 35:17 Wow, isn't that great? 35:18 I always, He would, it's like, 35:21 His spirit would just come over me, 35:24 and then He knew that I would accept it 35:27 for that moment and then reject it again. 35:30 But yet, every time, time after time... 35:34 That's powerful. 35:35 He came to me with loving kindness 35:40 and that's why I love Him so deeply. 35:42 Yes. 35:43 There is a verse in Romans, 35:46 but I think I'm starting to get to like this book. 35:47 You're really studying Romans, I love that. 35:51 Romans 5:8 and that goes along with what you're saying. 35:57 Let me know when you guys are there. 35:58 Okay. Romans 5:8 Got it. 35:59 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, 36:02 while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 36:05 Amen. 36:07 That is the ultimate act of kindness of love of, 36:10 I mean, you can learn so many lessons from the Cross, 36:15 from Christ's sacrifice. 36:16 And then the fact that, He died for the very people 36:18 who were persecuting Him, 36:21 He came and risked everything, spared no expense to save us. 36:26 Amen. 36:27 Yeah, that's true because He chose 36:29 before the foundation of the world, 36:30 you know, that, you know, He would come and, 36:33 you know, sin happened 36:34 and so He came as the ultimate sacrifice, 36:36 and it's interesting it says here 36:38 "While we were yet sinners," it doesn't say, 36:42 so when the whole world has followed me, 36:44 and I know that they've committed their lives to me 36:45 and then I'm gonna die, but while we were yet sinners 36:49 Christ died for the entire world. 36:51 That's amazing. 36:53 It also speaks to that pure motive, 36:55 the motive behind it was love, it wasn't a, well, you do this, 37:00 and then I'll come, die for you. 37:02 This is like ultimate love. 37:06 We don't have any words in the English language 37:09 or in any language that we have to accurately portray 37:14 God's love for us. 37:16 So someone was talking about motive I think earlier, 37:18 so is the motive for kindness, love, possibly? 37:21 Well, I think Dee kind of touched on that, 37:24 it's an issue of the heart. 37:25 There you go. 37:26 It can't be an issue of your mind. 37:29 It's got to be an issue of your heart. 37:30 Yes. 37:32 You can make a decision, 37:33 and you can start practicing it, 37:37 and tell it is you. 37:42 In my Sabbath school, I tell that my young adults, 37:45 "You need to make a decision, 37:47 you need to think consciously 37:50 what kind of person do I wanna be? 37:53 And then you need to start practicing right now 37:57 to be that person." 37:58 Yes. 38:00 "If you want to be kind, 38:01 you need to start being kind now. 38:04 Don't just end up being whoever you're gonna be by accident 38:09 without thought or consideration." 38:11 Too many people go through life 38:13 letting life just happen to them 38:16 and they wake up some morning and go, 38:18 "This is not who I wanted to be." 38:21 So, and it's never too late. 38:23 That's right. 38:25 I don't care if you're 5 or 500. 38:28 At any age, I know, at any age you can decide, 38:32 this is not who I want to be, 38:35 and you can start practicing to change that, 38:37 but I really encourage young people, young adults, 38:41 consciously think about who you want to be, 38:45 what you want your character to be, 38:47 and start working on that today. 38:49 So that you can wake up some morning and go, 38:53 "Thank you, Lord, for helping me achieve." 38:56 And God does the heavy lifting, we don't even, we just... 38:58 Isn't that great? 39:00 If we're not willing to change, 39:01 we need to ask Him to help us 39:03 to be willing to be willing to change. 39:05 You know, this is something that I have told, 39:11 how'd you stay, I told my son, 39:12 I've told my son this many times, 39:15 "Honey, if you don't change directions, 39:17 you're gonna round up where you're headed." 39:19 Let me say it again, if you don't change direction, 39:22 you'll wind up where you're headed. 39:23 And another thing I tell him, 39:25 change and change until you change. 39:28 We can talk about change, we can say we want to change, 39:31 but until you change you're still the same. 39:33 So change and change 39:35 until you do something about it. 39:36 Dee, that's good counseling. 39:38 It is. Now, that's great. 39:39 And... 39:40 Comes to my mind... 39:42 Go for it, Jason. Okay. 39:44 You know, we've been talking about God's kindness towards us 39:47 and just God's kindness in general. 39:49 Going back to what we're reading in Psalms 145:20, 39:55 where it says, 39:56 "The Lord preserves all who love Him, 39:58 but all the wicked He will destroy." 40:00 Even that is an act of kindness. 40:02 Even that is an act of love and act of mercy 40:04 because think about how measurable 40:07 the wicked would be in heaven, 40:09 if they don't like praising the Lord now, 40:11 they're not gonna want to spend an eternity doing that. 40:14 You know, so He's being merciful and compassionate 40:19 by just eradicating that. 40:22 That is their own decision. Yes. 40:24 He's given every opportunity, every chance. 40:27 They haven't been fitted for heaven. 40:31 When we get born again, 40:32 we become fitted for heaven and non-believers, 40:36 someone that's never made Jesus the Lord of their life, 40:39 could no more exist, in heaven than a fish can grow on a tree. 40:43 It's not their nature. 40:45 They haven't been fitted for that. 40:47 Yes, yes. 40:48 But they destroy themselves. 40:51 It really is a self destruction 40:53 because they can't survive in that holiness 40:56 in an unholy state. 40:58 Absolutely. 40:59 And if they could, they would be so measurable 41:02 they'd want to die. 41:03 So it is an act of kindness ultimately. 41:07 When there is so many things that we all need to grow in, 41:09 but I want to look at, let's look at Ezekiel 36. 41:15 Ezekiel 36, 41:20 let's look at the two verses 26-27. 41:23 I love this passage. 41:25 You know, 'cause I'm thinking, 41:26 how do we get the fruit of the spirit. 41:29 Yeah. 41:30 We're specifically talking about kindness today. 41:33 So it says, this is from the King James Version, 41:36 Ezekiel 36:26, "A new heart also will I give you." 41:43 Who is the I? 41:44 Jesus. Jesus. That's Jesus. 41:45 Amen. 41:47 So "A new heart also will I, Jesus, will give each one of us 41:50 and a new spirit will I put within you, 41:53 and I will take away 41:55 the stony heart out of your flesh..." 41:57 That's that heavy lifting you're talking about, Jason. 41:59 He takes it. 42:01 He'll take the stony heart out of our flesh, my flesh. 42:05 And what does this say? 42:06 "And I will give you a heart of flesh." 42:08 Like to think of really soft clay that's moldable. 42:12 Then verse 27 says, 42:13 "And I will put my spirit within you..." 42:16 Which, I mean, you can break down spirit, 42:19 but I'm thinking, let's think of the fruit of the spirit. 42:20 Yeah. 42:22 Joy, peace, all that stuff, kindness, gentleness. 42:25 "I'll put my spirit within you, 42:26 and cause you to walk in my statutes, 42:30 and ye shall keep my commandments..." 42:32 And what does it say? "And do them." 42:33 And do them. Isn't that great? 42:35 So God does the heavy lifting. 42:36 I think, Mollie, you always talk about it too, 42:38 I think is it Psalms 51:10 42:41 "Create in me a clean heart", is that? 42:42 Yes. And renew a right spirit within. 42:45 And you want to stand before God 42:46 with clean hands and a pure heart. 42:47 And a pure heart. 42:49 Amen. Yeah, absolutely. 42:50 But God is the one that does the heavy lifting, 42:52 like you're talking about, 42:53 'cause, you know, I want more kindness, 42:55 I want the fruit of the spirit. 42:57 I'm sure, you do too. 42:59 You know, we're looking at the scriptures, 43:00 the Holy Spirit convicts us in areas 43:02 that we need to grow in, it could be multiple areas, 43:04 but Christ does that heavy lifting, 43:06 He is the one that creates in us a clean heart, 43:08 renews a right spirit within us. 43:10 And I think it's neat that He takes that stony heart. 43:12 Absolutely. 43:13 But we have to be submissive. 43:15 Sometimes it's hard to be submissive 43:16 but, Dee, I think that's neat where you talked about too, 43:18 God is so full of mercy and grace. 43:20 Yes. 43:21 Even when we're messing up in love, you mentioned love. 43:23 That... 43:24 Love and kindness. 43:26 We turn to God whatever state we're at, 43:27 wherever we are, 43:28 and He hears us and He listens to us, 43:31 and He cares enough to take a stony heart, 43:34 make it something soft. 43:35 Yeah. 43:36 'Cause we just make like temporary changes, 43:38 like behavioral modifications, 43:40 but the genuine transformation only comes from Christ. 43:43 That's a great point. Big difference, isn't there? 43:45 Between genuine... 43:46 Yeah, 'cause He'll just be right back. 43:48 And to me it's incredible 43:49 because God wants to take out the stony heart. 43:51 He does. 43:52 He wants to put within us His fear at the heart of flesh 43:55 and as I think of that process, 43:58 we think of putting to death the old man a sin. 44:01 And then living the new life in Christ 44:03 and that makes me think of Colossians 3. 44:07 Colossians 3, the first part of the chapter 44:11 talks about verse 10 is putting off, 44:14 now 10 putting is on the new. 44:16 So verse 8 you put off the old, the wrath, the anger, malice, 44:20 blasphemy, filthy language, lying, 44:23 all of the old man we put off, 44:25 and then the new man comes on and we're clothed with Christ. 44:29 And so, let's pick it up in verse 12. 44:31 This is the character of the new man. 44:33 Colossians 3? 44:35 Colossians 3:12. 44:37 I think, Mollie, do you have that? 44:38 I do. Verse 12. 44:40 "Therefore, as the elect of God, 44:42 holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, 44:45 kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, 44:50 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another." 44:52 It's great. 44:54 "If anyone has a complaint against another, 44:56 even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." 45:00 Do you want me to continue through 17? 45:01 Yeah, keep going, yes. Okay. 45:03 "But above all these things put on love, 45:05 which is the bond of perfection. 45:08 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts," 45:11 that word "rule" is like empire. 45:14 Let the peace of God act as an empire calling 45:19 what's right and what's wrong in your hearts. 45:22 "To which also you were called in one body and be thankful. 45:26 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, 45:30 teaching and admonishing one another 45:32 in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 45:35 singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 45:37 And whatever you do in word or deed, 45:41 do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 45:44 giving thanks to God the Father through Him." 45:47 Wow. 45:48 It's a great passage. 45:50 So, you know, my question is when we look at that passage, 45:52 I think as Christians often we try to put on 45:54 without putting off first. 45:56 Am I making any sense? 45:58 Like I think, I'm going to then, 46:00 I wanna put on mercy, 46:01 and kindness, and humility and be clothed with that. 46:04 But I haven't put off the older, 46:06 the old man, or old woman is still really going to town, 46:09 he's still alive and it's like, 46:12 I'm trying, I'm a split personality, 46:14 the two are trying to live together. 46:15 So how do we put off the old 46:18 and put on the new any ideas or? 46:21 Well, you've said it earlier, I believe you did, 46:23 put to death the misdeeds of the flesh. 46:26 I think that's the scripture 46:28 that I know Shelley Quinn quotes a lot. 46:30 But I think I've heard you quote it quite a bit as well. 46:32 Amen. 46:33 I forgot where this is found but the word says, 46:36 "A double minded man is unstable in all of his ways." 46:40 James, yeah. 46:42 And so it's a battle for the supremacy 46:45 like you can't have, 46:47 you can't serve God, and serve the devil. 46:50 You know, it's either or you're gonna, 46:53 you know, there is no middle ground there. 46:56 You know, if you... 46:58 even by not making a choice to serve the Lord, 47:01 you've made your choice 47:02 because you're serving yourself, 47:04 whatever, you know, this has to be our standard. 47:06 If I can borrow from Mollie, what you feed grows. 47:11 Grows. 47:13 What you starve dies. Dies. 47:16 So that's why it's so important in the mornings 47:19 that we start off with "Lord, please take this stony heart 47:23 and give me the soft heart. 47:25 Lord, please let You shine in me today. 47:28 Please, Lord, let me do Your plans, 47:33 put off me and start putting in the kindness." 47:38 So it's making that decision every morning 47:41 and asking for that. 47:42 I don't think we can just assume, 47:45 well, Lord, you know what I want. 47:47 We have to actually ask for it 47:50 and then start this step-by-step of growing 47:54 in that way of a decision first 47:56 an then your heart follows. 47:58 Yes, you are making a very, yeah... 48:00 You're making a very good point. 48:02 We don't just start having the attribute, 48:07 the fruit of the spirit of kindness, 48:09 be outgrowth of our heart, 48:12 you know, it just flow forth out of us 48:15 if we have all with these other things 48:18 that haven't been dealt with, that's why we pray 48:21 so often and clay us how many times do we pray, 48:25 search me, O God, only God can search you. 48:28 Search me and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts 48:33 because we can deceive ourselves, 48:34 see if there'd be any evil way in me 48:37 and lead me in the path that's everlasting. 48:40 So only God can do that, only God can clean us up, 48:44 but what we can do is just submit ourselves to God. 48:47 Amen. 48:48 Invite him. 48:50 Yeah. No, you're absolutely right. 48:51 Yeah, 'cause I think Mollie goes back 48:52 to also you're talking the direction, 48:54 what did you say about direction 48:56 if you change course, 48:57 you're gonna end up where you're heading? 48:58 If you don't change direction, 49:00 you'll wind up where you're headed. 49:01 Yeah, well said. 49:02 So basically, I think it's changing direction 49:04 through way we're going. 49:05 It's a conscious, yeah. 49:07 U-turn as CA would say. It is. It's a choice. 49:10 It's a U-turn. 49:11 Yeah, it's a conscious choice. It really is. 49:13 And I think, Mollie, I like 49:14 also the random acts of kindness too 49:16 because if you find that maybe you're not, 49:18 even if it's to your family, people you don't even know, 49:22 but, boy, just make conscious effort, 49:25 I'm gonna do this to be kind today. 49:27 Well, you know, if we can pray this 49:29 before we're preaching tonight. 49:32 See tomorrow is the Sabbath. That's right. 49:34 And so we could start tomorrow, start tomorrow at church. 49:39 Find somebody just to do a random act of kindness 49:44 and just see, you'll be more blessed. 49:46 It's like it's more blessed to give than to receive. 49:49 You'll be more blessed than the person 49:50 that you're doing the act of kindness for. 49:53 Oh, yeah. 49:54 And that's a challenge to all. No, that's a great challenge. 49:56 Absolutely and it can be someone in your family, 49:59 it could be and maybe you want to do, 50:01 maybe you should choose to do two acts of kindness, 50:04 one to your family, 50:06 and one to someone you don't know. 50:08 Baby steps, Dee, one act of kindness at a time. 50:13 That's correct. 50:14 Because then that becomes habit. 50:15 You know, where it's gonna just comes out of you naturally. 50:18 Yeah, that's great. 50:19 What about one final question, 50:20 I know, we need to spend time in prayer at the end, 50:22 but what about, we've been talking 50:24 about acts of kindness, reaching out, 50:26 taking a baby step, one act of kindness, 50:28 what about when the person's difficult to love? 50:31 You know, it's easy to love people 50:33 who love you back in return or who your friends with, 50:36 but what about if it's someone 50:38 you could consider an enemy, or someone painful. 50:41 How do you reach out in kindness to someone 50:43 'cause I know, at home 50:45 you have people that maybe there is a rub with 50:47 and you're struggling with the certain person, 50:49 so how do we reach out in kindness 50:51 to those people who hurt us? 50:52 When you think about it, we're difficult to love. 50:57 Just being honest, 50:59 we as human beings are difficult to love, 51:02 but yet Christ still loves us 51:04 and still died for us nonetheless. 51:07 So I mean, I think that we have to, 51:10 of course, follow His example in all things 51:12 and treat others as we would want to be treated 51:16 like Miss Mollie was saying earlier, 51:18 we don't know 51:19 what that person's going through, 51:21 we don't know their background, 51:22 we don't know what they have experienced. 51:24 There could be a reason behind 51:26 why they act the way that we do. 51:28 We have to take the higher road as Christians 51:31 and extend that hand to them. 51:34 It's not easy, it's a hard thing, 51:38 but, you know, with prayer 51:39 and with being intentional it can be done. 51:43 Yeah, I was thinking those two things 51:45 by an act of my will, 51:46 I am going to choose to be kind to this person 51:50 and then, Father, you look in my heart, 51:52 and you say the last thing 51:53 I want to do is, we can't do them. 51:54 But, Father, I make myself willing to, 51:57 I yield to you, 51:58 to put Your kindness in me 52:00 and let Your kindness be an 52:01 outworking of my heart to this person. 52:04 So if there's someone, you specifically know 52:06 that you're having a hard time loving, 52:08 or caring, or being with, 52:10 if you ask the Holy Spirit, okay, Lord, 52:14 I have a hard time with this person. 52:15 I don't even know what to do with an act of kindness. 52:18 I believe, if you intentionally decide 52:21 that you want to do that, 52:23 and you ask the Lord to give something, 52:26 the Holy Spirit to feed you, 52:28 the Holy Spirit will give you an opportunity 52:30 and an insight to do an act f kindness for that person, 52:34 if you decide that's what you want to do. 52:36 And that's how you take 52:37 that baby step towards loving someone 52:41 with an act of kindness. 52:42 And then God can work on breaking down those barriers 52:45 that person may be dealing with such, wow. 52:49 I was just joking about the baby step thing earlier to. 52:52 Just in case our viewers like here he is, 52:54 they are having a hard time being kind. 52:58 You are very kind, Jason. 53:01 I have never seen you be unkind. 53:03 No. 53:04 But we have about four minutes left, 53:05 it's hard to believe it's gone by quickly. 53:07 Let's do some prayer. I hate to say quick prayer. 53:09 Well, let's play it together. Jason, you want to start? 53:11 We're on the circle and Jill and I will end. 53:13 Sure. 53:15 Dear, Heavenly Father, we thank You for this time 53:18 that we've able to spend together, 53:19 and dwelling on Your kindness towards us, 53:22 and seeing how we can be kind towards others 53:25 as a result of focusing on You and having You in our lives. 53:29 We ask that You would continue to be with us 53:31 and continue to be with the viewers, 53:33 Lord, and help us as we partaken 53:35 this challenge of showing acts 53:39 or doing acts of kindness to others. 53:44 We thank You again for Your love, 53:47 and Your compassion, in Jesus' name we pray. 53:49 Amen. Amen. 53:50 Oh, Father, I just ask that each and every one of us 53:53 will take that loving kindness 53:55 that You have put into our lives 53:56 and into our hearts 53:58 and we will pass it on to someone 54:00 to reach out to grow Your kingdom, Father. 54:01 Thank you. 54:03 This is my prayer for each of us tomorrow, 54:06 thank you, and today. 54:08 Holy God, we do come before You in the name of Jesus 54:11 and present our bodies to Your living sacrifice. 54:14 Lord, we give ourselves to You, 54:16 ask You, Lord, to fill us with Your presence, 54:18 fill us with Your Holy Spirit, Father. 54:20 Everyone that's listening, everyone that's viewing, 54:24 Father touch us now, 54:26 fill us with Your presence 54:27 and, Lord, let it be an outgrowth of our heart, 54:30 that love and kindness would flow from us. 54:33 And, Father, I'm gonna ask for everyone of us 54:35 that You would search us so God, know our hearts. 54:38 Father, if there'll be any evil in our hearts, 54:41 make us aware of that and we surrender it to You 54:44 and ask Lord that You would cleanse us, 54:46 that we would be vessels of honor in Your kingdom 54:49 that You can use to touch the needs of hurting humanity. 54:53 And I pray this in Jesus' name. 54:55 Oh, Father, as we continue in prayer 54:57 with our brothers and sisters at home, 54:59 we thank You for Your loving kindness. 55:01 We thank You for Your tender mercies, 55:03 and that You have saved us 55:05 with the blood of Jesus 55:07 and forgiven and cleansed and stood us up 55:10 with a soft heart, a heart of clay. 55:13 And, Lord, I just pray 55:14 for my brothers and sisters at home 55:16 and for us here at 3ABN, that daily we would submit, 55:20 surrender to You, 55:21 ask to be filled with Your spirit 55:23 and that Your loving kindness, 55:25 the fruit of Your spirit would flow 55:27 from our hearts outward to others 55:29 and we thank You for what You're going to do. 55:33 Father in heaven, Lord, we just thank You 55:36 that You're so willing to create in us a clean heart. 55:39 And so, Lord, I just ask for that for my own life, 55:41 I know all of us here at the table, 55:43 in this living room, and those at home 55:45 where we'll just ask You again into our hearts. 55:47 We want to have a heart that is not stony 55:51 and to be a heart of flesh 55:53 or one that is soft and moldable. 55:56 Lord, thank You for speaking to us, 55:57 I know, many times, 55:59 you're just impressing us so be kind to this person. 56:01 Say a kind word here even to our family, 56:03 to people we don't know. 56:05 Lord, we just pray 56:06 that I want to listen to You every single time, 56:09 You impress that upon my mind. 56:11 Lord, we thank You for the opportunity, 56:12 we have been vessels for You 56:15 that You can flow through to others. 56:18 Lord, that we can be Your hands, 56:20 Your words to other people 56:22 to offer word of encouragement and be kind. 56:24 Lord, we thank You for the challenges 56:26 that's been put out here this evening 56:27 to be kind to someone maybe even tonight 56:31 as we open the Sabbath tomorrow with church. 56:33 Lord, thank You that You want to work in us 56:36 each and every day, 56:37 we thank You for Your Sabbath and in Jesus' name we pray. 56:40 Amen. Amen. 56:41 Amen. 56:43 Thank you so much, Mollie, and Dee, and Jay, 56:46 for sharing on family worship 56:48 and we just thank you for joining us. 56:50 It's just a privilege 56:51 to open up the Sabbath together with you, 56:53 and we wanna encourage you to step out every day, 56:56 to reach out in kindness, in an act of kindness, 57:00 towards someone else 57:01 to exemplify the character of Jesus. 57:04 Yeah, that's absolutely right. 57:06 And, you know, it's a blessing to be here together 57:08 this evening with our family here, 57:10 and with you to open the Sabbath together 57:12 with the Lord Jesus Christ. 57:14 Don't forget to open His word on a daily basis 57:17 because there are treasures to be found in the word of God. 57:20 God bless you and have a happy Sabbath. 57:23 Amen. Amen. 57:24 Thank you, all. Thank you. |
Revised 2017-04-13