Devotional: A Righteous Act

A Righteous Act

"You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and bless you; and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 24:13).

The Message Translation calls this a "righteous act." To show kindness to others, including those who owe you something, is viewed as righteousness by the Lord. The Bible has a lot to say about kindness and generosity. "That which is desired in a man is loyalty and kindness [and his glory and delight are his giving], but a poor man is better than a liar" (Proverbs 19:22, Amplified). There is an air of pretense that can sometimes precede some acts of kindness (in other words, a "what am I going to get out of this" attitude) -- so the Lord says a poor man who can't repay is better than a rich man who only pretends to be kind.

However, kindness can be defined in many ways. For example, one man said, "Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true." I like that simply because it eliminates all need to pre-judge. I would rather be guilty of being kind than being unfair based on appearance, reputation, or perception. But kindness is a righteous act. It encompasses generosity, compassion, affection and even courtesy. The person who exhibits kindness is patient, tender, thoughtful, and unselfish. These are qualities that make God smile.

In fact, God describes kindness as a fast. Many people identify a fast as abstaining from food for a specified period. But God describes a fast in this way: "This is the kind of fasting I have chosen: Loosen the chains of wickedness, untie the straps of the yoke, let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke. Share your food with the hungry, take the poor and homeless into your house, and cover them with clothes when you see {them} naked. And don't refuse to help your relatives" (Isaiah 58:6-7, God's Word Translation). That's far different than some definitions of fasting! And each of these acts are righteous, and therefore kind. In light of this, it's no wonder Jesus admonished the Pharisees for their style of fasting. "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:16-18).

There should be a joy in doing anything "as unto the Lord." Acts of kindness should bring us joy (and I stress "should"). But some acts of kindness are hard. Jesus wasn't ignorant of this fact. This is the reason He said, "Anoint your head and wash your face..." In other words, put the flesh under, smile, and do it anyway. It's not lying and pretending if you are in training for maturity. God calls us to lay down our lives for others - whether it's convenient or not. This isn't always easy. Our flesh wants to grumble and complain at first, but over time, we realize joy is mulitiplied to the giver, not the receiver.

And with all that said, there is one other mention in the scriptures of a "righteous act" given unselfishly. "Through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, [yet] even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life" (Romans 5:18). That righteous act was the willingness of Jesus Christ to offer Himself as a sacrifice for humanity. Have you ever considered our salvation as an act of kindness? Because that's exactly what it was. "For we also were once thoughtless and senseless, obstinate and disobedient, deluded and misled; [we too were once] slaves to all sorts of cravings and pleasures, wasting our days in malice and jealousy and envy, hateful (hated, detestable) and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior to man appeared, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:3-6, Amplified).

Loving-kindness is a righteous act. We were rude, dirty, and vile - yet God was patient, thoughtful, gentle, compassionate, and courteous - words you might not have associated with your salvation - but true nonetheless. So how much more should we offer the same to others? As an act of righteousness, out of honor and gratitude to the One who was kind first, shouldn't we show the same to those who by all appearances make us want to turn and go the other way? I am so grateful God did not turn away from me when I came to Him. He was kind to me. Therefore, it is my aim to be sincerely kind to others. A righteous act... in honor of a righteous Savior.

The best gift you can offer to others is kindness. May you be the one blessed for doing so!