God knows all about you, yet He still loves you!

“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34 NKJV)

At Jesus’ most painful and darkest hour, and from the very cross where He was being crucified, He looked beyond what was happening to Himself and focused instead on the needs of others. He asked for forgiveness for them and said something very interesting and powerful, “forgive them for they know not what they do!”

Jesus knew that if they had truly understood who He was, God’s very son, (1 John 4:15 & John 3:16), they would never have attacked Him! He had all the information. He knew why He was there, and what He was there for; “the Lamb of God, willingly laying down His life for the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) This information helped Him to do what was right in spite of how He felt!

Having the right information will help you treat others with kindness and forgiveness

In the same way, knowing that you are a redeemed person (1 Peter 1:18), and knowing that you have been forgiven and bought at the price of Jesus’ death on the cross, (1 Cor. 6:20), and knowing that you are a member of God’s family, (Eph. 2:19), and knowing that you are God’s Ambassador, (2 Cor. 5:20), then you too, can do the right thing as needed, even in difficult or extreme circumstances!

Don’t give evil for evil!

Instead do the very opposite. Be kind to those who are not kind to you. Be polite to those who are rude to you. Be patient to those who are impatient to you. Be loving to those who are unloving to you!

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)

Being kind to others helps you, too!

In a study conducted by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California, students were assigned the task of doing five random acts of kindness per week for six weeks. At the end of the study, the students’ levels of happiness had increased by 41.66 percent! Being kind to others had a profoundly positive effect on their own level of happiness!

The golden rule

“Do to others as you would have them to do to you.” (Luke6:31 NIV)

Quote:

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” - Mark Twain