A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

One day while Abraham was in the middle of his prayer time he heard a noise, looked up, and saw a group of sojourners coming towards his tent. Abraham immediately ran to meet the visitors. The Jewish Talmud asserts that from this we can learn that hospitality should take priority even over “welcoming the Divine presence.”

Abraham greeted his visitors with sincerity and care. He gave them food and washed their feet. Abraham even had his wife Sarah prepare her “world famous” flour cakes for them to taste. Abraham showed hospitality to these visitors even before he knew how significant they were. This is true kindness. This is true grace or “chesed.”

The Hebrew word “chesed” is most often translated as “grace” or “kindness” in English Bibles. This term implies an action of unmerited favor in a physical manner. Grace isn’t just something you believe. Grace is something you do. Abraham showed grace to his visitors. It’s a powerful force. Perhaps it was this kindness that Abraham shared that led to the blessing of Sarah getting pregnant with Isaac?
Kindness has reciprocal effects that set in motion chains of good events. When you reach out to someone to meet a need, you are in essence putting your needs in God’s hands. Abraham left his own tent of meeting with God to welcome guests and was never the same.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. One way in which we express love to the Lord is through the kindness / chesed that we show others. Today, look for new ways to be hospitable. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a way to show kindness. Spend time in prayer for others and extra time meeting the needs of others. As you replicate Abraham’s actions you will experience the blessing of chesed yourself.