Devotionals

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Do love and kindness come with a price? If so, what price are we to pay?

All too often in today's world, we seem to think everything comes with a price tag. With more and more jobs being lost each day, prices sweeping upwards in the blink of an eye, and so much hatred and animosity toward others, it is no wonder we do not trust our fellow man as we once did. No wonder our love for one another is waning. I often ask myself the question, "Where is the love? Where has our kindness gone?"

After the tragic events of 9-11, we seemed to come together in a spirit of oneness that far surpassed any outpouring of generosity that I have witnessed in many years. Restaurants opened their doors to feed rescue workers and volunteers, people wept together while clinging desperately to a hope that was soon to be fleeting, and there were no barriers in place that day as far as to the color of one's skin, the neighborhood in which he lived, or the religious faith we professed. In those few days, we saw a faith in our just and almighty God reborn. We saw kindness reborn. We saw a hope in mankind reborn. And we saw love within the hardened hearts of men reborn. What a miracle of new birth we witnessed! Was that not the teachings of Jesus from 2000 years ago? So long ago, yet so relevant today in this changing world. Our WORLD changes, but God's WORD never changes.

Now that the shattering effects of those perilous days have come and gone, the kindness we witnessed seems to have vanished along with it--like a thief in the night. Gone are the days when we could come together in one accord, forgetting with whom we may be holding hands, or if, in fact, we are holding hands at all. Gone are the days when we could be non-judgemental about our fellow man, choosing now instead to harp upon the fact that we may have been treated unfairly, choosing perhaps to grasp the idea of "my way or no way", or choosing to be somewhat conceited in believing that we ourselves are sitting high atop some sort of invisible pedestal, too good to be touched by those "beneath us", yet asking for God's gracious mercies to flow like mighty waters upon you and me. Yes, we have become "politically correct" in our daily lives, yet lukewarm believers with little or no harvested fields in the eyes of our Lord.

Does being kind to one another, and showing the love of Jesus, cost so much in today's world that we are willing to forsake it in lieu of pride, fame or values? Does it cost so much that we are willing to cast it aside until, God forbid, we ever need it again? Have we become so ashamed of being a Christian that we bite our tongues for fear of offending others?

The Bible teaches us that whatsoever we do in His name, it is as if we have done it unto the least of Him. Is it not so correct today to put down our shields of armor in exchange for soft words of love and comfort? At what price will we willing to leave our petty grudges on the dark shelf of shame and pick up our hearts to embrace one another again in the true spirit of kindness? Love knows no bounds.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has paid the price for us through His shed blood upon the cross of Calvary. Let us start today to embrace His teachings and apply these same teachings to our daily lives where we can live a "life abundant" through His grace.

"And now abideth faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13

Emily A. Park

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