Set Your Mind Above

Episode #86 - An Act of Kindness

November 03, 2021 Season 1 Episode 86
Set Your Mind Above
Episode #86 - An Act of Kindness
Show Notes Transcript

I have been on a 10 year search for a particular copy of the Bible that has been long out of print, a World Publishing New American Standard New Testament. No matter where I looked, a copy was nowhere to be found. That is until a new friend learned of my search, and sent me my very own copy in the mail yesterday. I couldn't believe it. What an incredible act of kindness...Well, every single act of kindness is a fruit of hte Spirit, and ultimately a reflection of the gospel of Christ. Jesus saw our great need and from love was moved to action to do something for us who were astranged from him. There is no greater act of kindness than the cross of Christ. 

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Welcome back to all of our listeners! I’m BJ Sipe, and you’re listening to the Set Your Mind Above podcast – where everyday ordinary events teach us extraordinary eternal truths. I’m so glad that you’ve tuned in today, I am excited to share my life and my faith with you, and I sure hope that you’ll do the same with me along the way. 

To begin with, I want to apologize to all of our listeners for the lack of a podcast this past Friday. As I had let you all know in Thursday’s podcast, our son was having a severe reaction to penicillin starting from past Wednesday. Neither of us slept at all Thursday night, and come Friday we were simply doing our best to do whatever we could to help him to be comfortable because he was so miserable. After a steroid shot, after about 24 hours he finally started to show improvement. I am grateful to say that as of today our son is almost back to 100% health, and I want to thank every single one of you who was praying for him and reached out to encourage me. I also want to apologize for the lateness of this podcast, as I spent the day in court helping in a case to protect my grandmother on my Dad’s side from the actions of some pretty wicked people. Needless to say, I’m tired, but I really wanted to share a story with you all for your encouragement today. I want to begin by telling you of a decade long quest I have had in search for a particular Bible, it is roughly a 6 inch by 4 inch New Testament version of the New American Standard Bible by World Publishing. I fell in love with the format long ago when I looked at a copy that another man I once worked with had in his possession. Actually, he had two more in storage for when he wore his out. The reason people have collected them and hold on to them is because they are completely out of print, and you cannot find them anywhere. I offered to purchase one of his other two Bibles multiple times, but was never quite able to convince him. So there started the 10 year journey of looking for my own copy of this particular Bible. I searched everywhere. At least once a month I would search ebay, craigslist, and bookstores online. I found nothing. Every library I entered, every used bookstore I ever walked into I would look to see if I could find this particular Bible – but nothing. Well, fast forward to just a few weeks ago when we were having our special series of lessons on Mark that were being presented by a brother in Christ named Ray Warfel. I had been dying to meet Ray, as I had heard so much about him and we had just a few moments of interaction before, and I just knew this was a man that I needed to meet and learn from. He is humble, kind, an effectual Bible student, and perhaps the most down to earth person I have ever met. Well, as he was preaching one night and had given the invitation, he held up his Bible in the air as a call to invite any lost souls to come forward. As soon as he held it up, my eyes lit up. I knew what that was! That was the out of print NASB New Testament I had been searching for! As soon as services were over, I walked up and said, “Is that what I think it is? The NASB NT?” He said, “It is!” as he handed it over to me to see. He had just had it rebound, it was beautiful and worn from his years of use. “These are impossible to find, how did you stumble across this one?” I asked him. He proceeded to tell me where he found it and then added in, “Actually, I have another one I’m holding on to that I just happened to luck out in finding online, and I’m going to keep it for when this one wears out.” I told him I knew of another guy who did the very same thing, and told him how awesome it was that he had found two – there was no one more deserving to get so lucky as Ray. I handed the Bible back and that was the last we spoke of it. Well, yesterday, Kylie came in from getting the mail and she had a brown paper package in her hand. “Did you order something online honey?” she asked. “No, what’s that?” I replied. She handed it to me and I turned the package over to see a hand written address on the front, and in the upper left hand corner was written with the return address Ray Warfel. Suddenly, I recognized the size and feel of what was inside. “Surely this isn’t what I think this is,” I told Kylie as I frantically started opening the package like a kid on Christmas morning. “What is it?” she responded. Sure enough…I turned to Kylie, holding in my hands a copy of the very Bible I had been searching for all these years. Along with it came a note from our brother Ray, which brought us both to tears. He shared the kindest words to both Kylie and I, expressing his great respect for the kind of wife and mother that Kylie is and how much he loved getting to spend time together with me. He said that he felt he would probably never wear his current copy of the New Testament out, and he really wanted me to have this one. I’ve got to be honest with you, I was speechless. I was overwhelmed and touched by such a selfless, kind gesture as this from a man that I had just spent a few days with. Ray already had a special place in my heart, but now I will think of him every single day I open up this special Bible and use it to teach myself and others. 

What Ray did for me what such an important teaching moment for me, and a beautiful demonstration of what it looks like to produce the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-24 reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” As children of God, we lay down “self” at the foot of the cross of Jesus and instead invite Christ & the Spirit to dwell within us. The life that we live is no longer for ourselves, but it is Christ who is living in us and through us. As such, we produce the fruit of such a transformation by God’s Spirit: where formerly we were selfish, now we put the interest of others ahead of our own. Where formerly we wrestled with others, now we become peacemakers. Where formerly we were not thoughtful, the fruit of a Spirit filled person produced acts of kindness towards others. You see, a random act of kindness is far bigger than what we make it out to be – it is a demonstration of a transformed life by the Spirit of God. Consider also Paul’s words in Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” We have been chosen by God, and the works that he has prepared for us to do are these fruits of the Spirit. When we act with humility, we fulfill God’s plan for us and bring him glory. When we respond with compassion, we reflect the image of Christ Jesus and direct others to his great love. When we act with kindness, we demonstrate a heart that is not motivated by selfishness, but has laid aside self at the foot of the cross in order to serve others. What Ray did for me in gifting me this rare copy of the Bible is so important, not because of the nature of the gift, but because of the nature of the giver. Through the Spirit, Ray selflessly served and thought of me, for the most part a stranger, and set for me an example of the kind of love & care that I ought to have in my own life for others. In doing so, he has lived out the story of the gospel, and drawn attention not to himself, but to the great love of Christ. Consider 1 John 3:16-18, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” God, out his great love & kindness, gave us the greatest gift he possibly could – the gift of his son and salvation. And this he did not just for those who were strangers to him, for none of knew God, but we in fact were enemies of God. And yet, seeing our need, love birthed the greatest act of kindness through the cross of Christ. Those who have experienced the kindness & love of Jesus cannot help but to be changed by it, they are transformed to do the same & so when they see the needs of others act in kindness from a heart of love. And so it doesn’t matter what it is – be it a meal, clothing, your time, or even a Bible – every small act of kindness is a reflection of the gospel of Christ. 

Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. Tune in, Tuesday-Fridays, as a new podcast episode will be uploaded each day. Also, be sure to follow the Facebook page for the Set Your Mind Above podcast for future announcements and video sessions. As you have the opportunity, share these thoughts with your friends and family, and share with me what important lessons you are learning from every day, ordinary events. Until next time know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above.