2 Samuel 23:8-12, I Chronicles 11:1-14, 2 Samuel 21:19-22, I Chronicles 20:5-8, 2 Samuel 10:1-19, I Chronicles 19:1-19, Psalm 33, 2 Samuel 11:1, I Chronicles 20:1a

David was just being kind. Some guy’s dad died so David sent some of his men to calling hours. Well, at least to express David’s sympathy and to show kindness to the grieving son.

But the son, along with his frat buddies, treated David’s men shamefully. I’m pretty sure they had quite a laugh at half-shaven faces and bare bottoms. That’s just mean.

Have you ever reached out to someone only to have that person laugh at you or humiliate you? Kindness is not always met with gratitude, is it?

Yet Jesus tells us to treat others the way we’d like to be treated. There are no “ifs” in that command. Jesus spent a lot of his short ministry telling us and showing us how important it is to treat each other with kindness.

There is no guarantee your kind deed will bring about good, however. The person to whom you show kindness may reject you, humiliate you, or repay you with evil. So why take the chance?

Because when you show kindness you have the privilege of being God’s hands, feet, and voice. Your kindness may be an avenue by which God wants to reveal himself to someone who needs him.

Why take the chance of humiliation?

Because God asks us to.