praise and kindness

Psalm 106; Ezra 7:1-8:14

I recently heard it said, "Sin causes memory loss."  I didn't exactly know what the person meant, but then he explained.  We so quickly forget the rich love that God has shown us.  How tragic.

 1 Praise the LORD.
       Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

 2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
       or fully declare his praise? ...

 13 But they soon forgot what he had done
       and did not wait for his counsel.

Here is a great Old Testament picture of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross of Calvary:

 23 So he said he would destroy them—
       had not Moses, his chosen one,
       stood in the breach before him
       to keep his wrath from destroying them.

In concert with the Psalmist and all the other Saints, I pray:

 47 Save us, O LORD our God,
       and gather us from the nations,
       that we may give thanks to your holy name
       and glory in your praise.

 48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
       from everlasting to everlasting.
       Let all the people say, "Amen!"
       Praise the LORD.

Today's Love Dare explains the kindness attribute of love.  Where patience is reacting in love to a difficult situation, kindness is proactively investing love and creating a positive situation.  My wife was very kind and patient with me last night:  The weather was unusually clear, crisp, and comfortable, so I asked her if we could take a walk.  Even though it was after bedtime, and even though we walked and talked for several hours as I shared with her some of my insecurities with my scholastic and spiritual responsibilities, she was so patient to listen to me and kind to reassure me of God's love and sovereignty.  Indeed, her investment of love toward me in sacrificing her time for sleeping (which is not insignificant considering the little amount of sleep she has had the last several weeks from working diligently to get her class off to a great start) and showing me that she cares has really energized me and stabilized my frustrations.  Perhaps I could most concisely summarize her actions towards me like this: she has shown me the love of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise you for your greatness, and thank you for your kind love towards me.  Thank you for giving me such a wonderful wife to encourage me and help me. Lord, may I show to her the love that Jesus Christ shows the Church.  I want to praise you with my life.  I really want to honor you and praise you.  Please help me love you more.  I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who demonstrated your kindness to us on the Cross.