Because of our belief in the counterfeit, we believe that the blessings of God directly parallel the amount we give in the offering plate. "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt 10:8) has now become "If you give, you will receive." Most people believe in a manipulative God who has a self seeking motive behind everything He does. This is why we don't trust Him when He does something nice for us. It takes us by surprise. If we have a bad habit or sense we're doing something wrong, we expect nothing from Him until we get our act together. If He does bless us, we immediately begin to wonder what we're supposed to do for Him in return.
Kindness always lands in the heart. Because the counterfeit of kindness is purely temporary, many have learned to see God as a pursuer of temporary things. Today's real measure of His kindness is in how much He rewards the flesh. Financial blessings is the biggie. We even secretly judge people who are struggling financially because we think they must not be" right with God". Kindness has nothing to gain in return and thus defies the human logic. When someone experiences true kindness, they almost always look as if they seen a ghost. They make us feel helpless and insecure because we have no control over them. The humbling feeling that real kindness elicits in our hearts is scary and overwhelming. This is why we feel we have to return the favor. But until we're able to receive authentic kindness, we will never know God's heart.
The author has a friend Mike who is a former Green Beret who served his final mission in Desert Storm. He was awarded a Sliver Star in that war for heroic acts in the heat of battle. While on a mission, a missile shot down Mike's helicopter and he was the only survivor. By the time help arrived, they were amazed to find that despite broken neck and back, a dislocated hip, shoulder and ankle, bullet wound to his abdomen, Mike was miraculously unloading the bodies of his friends from the burning chopper. He was given a Purple Heart. They pinned it to the full body cast in which Mike spent the next six agonizing months lying motionless, clinging to life. The doctor informed him that he will never walk again. But he proved them wrong.
Several year ago Mike called and invited the author to lunch. He told me he had prayed about what to give me for Christmas and after week of contemplating it, he decided upon the perfect gift - Mike presented him with his purple heart.
This unbelievable gesture left the author speechless. He just stood there flabbergasted. There was nothing I could say or do. I couldn't even run to the nearest gift store in an effort to "even up the score," because money couldn't buy a gift that would even come close to this. Mike was aiming for my heart, and he hit it. He gave me his heart.
What a beautiful picture this is of God's heart. It is His desire to touch your heart in a way that will leave you speechless. The reason why God's kindness never has ulterior motives behind it is because his kindness simply cannot be repaid. All you can do is stand there and receive it. When God gave His only Son, He gave His heart! It was the only way He could hit target of our hearts. His kindness is beyond the realm of reimbursement; it transports the human heart into a sphere where nothing but bare acceptance is possible. Only when the heart is touched can this be accomplished. Kindness is the only means of touching the heart and God is the kindest of all.
"extracts from Misunderstood God by Darin Hufford"
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& the greatest kindness God has ever demonstrated is that while I was a sinner, Christ died for me.
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