Checkpoints in Life

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:17-32 ESV). Yesterday we began to look at the three checkpoints of life. The first of those was to do justice. Today we see that the second is to practice kindness. Alexander Maclaren said, “Kindness makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it, do not hammer it.” Mamie Adams always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait on line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. “I know,” said Mamie, ‘but the machine won’t ask me about my arthritis.” I wonder how many people just like Mamie Adams are in our circle of acquaintance and travel each day. Someone once said that we ought to be kind to everyone we meet since we may be entertaining angels unaware. I found the following recently. Perhaps it will serve as a reminder and encouragement to you as much as it did me. Just for Today ...Smile at a stranger ...Listen to someone's heart ...Drop a coin where a child can find it ...Learn something new, then teach it to someone ...Tell someone you're thinking of them ...Hug a loved one ...Don't hold a grudge ...Don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry" ...Look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are ...Look beyond the face of a person into their heart ...Make a promise, and keep it ...Call someone, for no other reason than to just say "hi" ...Show kindness to an animal ...Stand up for what you believe in ...Smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind ...Use all your senses to their fullest … Just for Today!