Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Those who are kind benefit themselves,
    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.
A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
    but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
Truly the righteous attain life,
    but whoever pursues evil finds death.
The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
    but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
    but those who are righteous will go free.
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
    is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

• Proverbs 11: 17-24

“Proverbs 11:24-26 scatters, yet increases. ” The principle here is that generosity, by God’s blessing, secures increase, while stinginess leads to poverty instead of expected gain. The person who gives receives far more in return (Ps. 112:9; Eccl. 11:1; John 12:24, 25; Acts 20:35; 2 Cor. 9:6—9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Kindness is introduced in the first of these proverbs.  Kindness provides benefits that you definitely do not enjoy when being cruel.

The next proverb talks about a wicked person’s deceptive wages.  Unjust scales could garner money deceptively, but I dealt with a contract consultant that smooth-talked the boss while her husband pretended to be two different people both working forty hours per week.  While the gears of bureaucracy were working slowly to have her company blacklisted from all government contracts, she did not have her security clearance pulled.  She broke into one of my employee’s desks and spread the questions and answers for a Physics exam all over the desk, and then she claimed that is the way she found it.  Per management’s routine of keeping me as the perpetual scapegoat, they tried to fire me for having such a reckless employee, taking the woman’s word over mine and my employee.  And this woman was known for having perpetrated fraud against the federal government.  She never went to jail, but the lack of government contracts may have greatly limited her.  Then again, she was wicked.  She would have invented a new scheme.  Yet, three proverbs later, the wicked will be punished.

Life for the righteous and death for the wicked again appears.

God detesting perversity goes beyond sexual perversion.  When I was in financial difficulty due to my wages not increasing while inflation was going crazy, managers at work, those that cared, offered me get-rich-quick schemes.  I studied what they were proposing, and each time, I would be taking advantage of someone else.  There is a perversity in spending your free time trying to take money away from another person and make it seem that you were doing him a favor.  I never went with any of those schemes.  I felt sick just thinking about them.

Proverbs 11:22 is a notable proverb.  Variations include putting lipstick on a pig – which does not make the pig any less piggish.  But a woman without discretion could adorn herself lavishly, but she can find no discretion with jewels covering her entire body.

Again we get a proverb about the righteous end in good, repeated by Paul in Romans 8:28, and the wicked end with wrath.

The last in this set is the first of a set praising generosity.

And now let us sing.

The following song is Kindness.  This set of proverbs started with kindness, let us sing about kindness.  It is sung by the composer, Steven Curtis Chapman.

“We’ve built our stained-glass castles
Reaching to the sky
At our best to show your glory
At our worst to show our pride
We’ve raised our hands in worship
And our fist to stake our claim
We’ve done so much good and so much harm
All in your great name

But when I think about what has
The power to change the world
It could all be said with just one word
Kindness

What if we lived with a heart of kindness
What if we loved like we’ve been loved
If that’s all that we’re remembered for
Well, let that be enough

So, when they stand and tell the stories
Of who we are and what we’ve done
Of a thousand things that we could leave behind us
If they say just one word
Well, let that word be kindness

Let our hearts be quick to listen
And our lips be slow to speak
Let us wrap ourselves in mercy, compassion, and humility
We’re reaching past the lines
That words like us and them have drawn
Knowing we’ll find common ground together at the cross

What if we lived with a heart of kindness
What if we loved like we’ve been loved
If that’s all that we’re remembered for
Well, let that be enough

So, when they stand and tell the stories
Of who we are and what we’ve done
Of a thousand things that we could leave behind us
If they say just one word
Well, let that word be kindness
Kindness

I can forgive because I’ve been forgiven
And I can show mercy
Because its mercy I’ve received
It’s the kindness of my Father
That brought me back to life
And it’s his kindness that still brings me to my knees

I wanna live with a heart of kindness
I wanna love like I’ve been loved
If that’s all that I’m remembered for
Then let that be enough

And I wanna stand and tell the story
Of who you are and what you’ve done
How your amazing love would bring you here to find us
To rescue and redeem us in your kindness
Oh, let my life be
A reflection of your kindness

We can change the world with kindness
We can change the world with kindness
We can change the world with kindness
Kindness”

• Steven Curtis Chapman, Kindness

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  In being in the hospital a lot lately, kindness goes a long way.  There is power there, and it shows Your love toward others.  The wicked will not prosper eventually.  We must seek Your face, Your righteousness, and the Life You provide us.  Help us to have discernment.  Help us to be generous.  Help us to love others as You love us.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.