KINDNESS BRINGS RESTORATION

In 2 Samuel 9:1 David speaks, “ ‘Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba…. Then the king said, ‘Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?’ And Ziba said to the king, ‘There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.’”

It is important to remember how the Lord forgave the paralytic and told him to take up his bed and walk. Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, was lame in his feet and his name has two interesting meanings. The one meaning is the one who enlarges the shame, and the other meaning is the one who destroys the shame. This is our choice. We enlarge shame or destroy shame. Shame means to be embarrassed or disappointed and become dry. When we are embarrassed or disappointed by anything that God does in our life, we will always struggle with dryness. Dryness will be our experience until we can accept the truth and no longer have an image of people. It is not because of the worry or work. It is because we let disappointment creep in slowly.

What happened to Mephibosheth? As David was anointed, Mephibosheth’s nursemaid took him, and as they escaped, she fell and he became lame from that moment. For David to forgive, he had to be in a place of power and authority. The authority that David had was not because he was king, but because he himself had many times received forgiveness. Our authority to forgive is not based on the fact that we fail, but in receiving the power in knowing that we have been forgiven.

We cannot forgive and not show kindness. Kindness and forgiveness go together. If someone declares that they have forgiven and show no kindness, it is not true forgiveness. Kindness cannot come with bitterness. Bitterness has no room for kindness. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit as we are kind and friendly minded to each other and have a flow with each other. There can be no flow if there is no forgiveness and a root of bitterness remains.

Jesus had the key when He said that a person couldn’t forgive someone seven times seventy naturally. He was speaking about a power that The Church has, and it is not based on an emotional level. What did Jesus do to show us true forgiveness? He showed kindness. There is no restoration without kindness. Jesus is kind and loving and good, and out of that fruit, comes restoration. Restoration does not bring kindness, but rather, kindness brings restoration. Many of us want to be restored so that we can be kind, but kindness only comes through forgiveness, and only then can we know restoration.

What is the result of restoration? When I am restored, I will not fear to give people possessions. I am not talking about financial possessions, but more important possessions that we have been given by God. Some people in ministry will say to you that they want to use your gift, but they never let you possess your gift and use the gift to the fullest extent They don’t give room for you to possess your gift because they have not been enlarged. Without room you cannot have possession.

Renting is one means of finding a place to live, but to really build a house, one has to have land and liberty to build and to design and to create. It is not a possession if something is given to you, but there are strings attached. A possession means we own it and can move and do what we want in the liberty and freedom of the Spirit. Many of us have nothing of our own because husbands, wives, kids, pastors, deacons, elders, the government and Satan speak into our lives that we really don’t know what is ours.

In His Love,
      Sigi

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