Daily Devotional for Tuesday, September 23

The Godly Bless Others

The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh,”

Proverbs 11:17 .

Would you be shocked to learn that there are many phrases and quotes that people often attribute to the Bible that are not actually in the Bible? One that comes to mind is “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Another is “Money is the root of all evil.” The first quote never appears; the second one attributes the wrong thing as evil because the love of money, not money, is the root of evil. In this case, our verse today did spawn a saying that is almost right. That phrase is “Kindness is its own reward.” That is, more or less, what our devotional verse is teaching us.

There is evidence to show that being kind to others does have positive impacts on our lives. It activates neurons in the other person’s brain which causes him to be kind to us. Being kind may increase feelings of self-esteem, empathy and compassion. Being kind certainly improves relationships. So, the Bible is true; being nice is its reward. The opposite also is true, in that cruelty is also its own punishment. We are good to ourselves when we are nice and bad to ourselves when we are cruel.

God is fully sovereign. He either causes or allows every event in the universe and in our lives to happen. No detail is too small for God not to be in direct control. Sometimes, His sovereign choice may be to allow events in your life to unfold in accordance with your actions. Actions have consequences. The way we treat others has consequences. God can certainly bring chastisement and consequences upon us if He wants; on the other hand, He may just watch as we bring our own! The Bible also teaches that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). What are you reaping in your life?

JUST A THOUGHT

What you do and how you live have consequences even without an intervention from God.

Wally Fry