06/13/2022
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
"What Maggots and Kindness Have in Common"
Do you have a physical wound that just will not heal? Why not place some maggots on the wound? That’s right… maggots. Maggots have been known for centuries to help heal wounds. Military surgeons have documented that soldiers whose wounds became infested with maggots did better --- and had a much lower mortality rate --- than did soldiers with similar wounds not infested. Medicinal maggots 1) clean wounds by dissolving the dead, infected tissue; 2) disinfect the wound, by killing bacteria; and 3) they stimulate wound healing. Now that you are completely grossed out, let’s get real about the wounds in your life.
All of us have struggled with evil speaking and bitterness at some point in our lives, and it may seem impossible to get rid of these infectious behaviors and attitudes. Yet, nothing is impossible with God. He has His own extreme therapy for us. Ephesians 4:32 lays out God’s supernatural therapy for ridding your life of these sins. Like having maggots crawling on you, it may not be a fun process, but in the end it will be worth it.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
Kindness is the first extreme therapy for eliminating spiritual infections. Kindness is not forgiveness, but it can open the door to forgiveness. Kindness is being sweet to other people, which is the opposite of allowing your interactions with people to make you bitter. It has been said that kindness is love with its work clothes on. Are you ready to put your work clothes on? Kindness is hard work. It isn’t some emotion that you feel which then leads to an action. Kindness is an action that you do that can lead to good emotional feelings toward others.
- What does God say in Luke 6:35 about the reward of those who are kind and love their enemies?
- Toward the end of Luke 6:35 we are given the greatest example of someone who loves his enemies by being kind to them. Who is it?
- Which of your “enemies” does God want you to focus your kindness on this week?
