MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
Programs to help men become transformed to the image (character) of Jesus Christ.
MEN ALIVE: Jim Cunningham & Paul Estabrooks' Podcast
MEN ALIVE 214 - Does KINDNESS make you a loser or a winner?
Have you ever considered kindness as a sign of strength, not weakness? As we navigate the scriptures, we reveal how kindness is not merely a gesture but a reflection of God's love within us. We emphasize its importance, celebrated globally across various religions and cultures. Together with Dr. Cunningham, we dive into Colossians 3:11-13, showing how kindness and tender-heartedness intertwine, encouraging us to don attributes like tender-hearted mercy, kindness, and humility. Ready to be inspired to live out kindness in your daily life? Tune in to this thought-provoking episode.
Welcome to Men Alive, a biblical journey to help us conform to the image of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, paul Estabrooks, our teacher, as my longtime friend, dr Jim Cunningham, consultant in adult education, director of Go Teach Global and author of the book Men Alive. In our dialogue today we explore the fifth section of the nine-part fruit of the Spirit, the quality called kindness. In the previous program we referred to chat, gpt and asked that artificial intelligence right about the section on patience. So, jim, are we going to do that again for kindness?
Speaker 2:Well, confession time.
Speaker 1:I did run this topic past AI, artificial intelligence just to see what it said Can you imagine what would happen to church sermons if they were written by robots?
Speaker 2:Not sure how they would sound, but here's the opening sentence, written by artificial intelligence Listen to these words by a computer robot saying quote kindness is a virtue celebrated across various religions, but today we focus on its representation in the Bible. Kindness is central to Christianity because it mirrors the character of God himself. In the Bible we see countless examples of God's kindness towards His people, even when they fall short. For instance, in Ephesians 2.7, it says quote in order that in the coming days he might show the incomparable riches of His grace expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1:Wow, are you saying, Jim, that a computer created that last paragraph, including the scripture reference, and did it in less than one minute?
Speaker 2:Yep, absolutely. And then the robot said beyond just reflecting God's character, kindness is also an expression of our love for one another. In Colossians 3.12, it says quote therefore, as God's chosen people holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Speaker 1:As I recall, the computer robot writer used that same Colossians 3.12 verse last time when we discussed patience. Now it's using it again for kindness.
Speaker 2:A valid observation, pablo, but pastors do sometimes use the same verse to illustrate more than one topic. What struck me was that the computer selected two illustrative stories of kindness in the Bible that you and I could have easily selected. The first one said quote one of the most iconic stories of kindness in the Bible is the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10.25 to 37. It depicts how a man from a despised group, the Samaritans shows extraordinary compassion to a wounded traveler, going above and beyond to care for him when others walked by without helping. Then the robot added quote. Another powerful example is the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 45. After they betrayed and sold him into slavery, joseph, in a position of power, showed kindness by forgiving them and providing for their needs during a famine. It demonstrates how kindness can transcend past grievances and bring about healing and reconciliation.
Speaker 1:Jim, here's a question how will people ever discern whether the words they are hearing are you and me talking as God gives us biblical insights, or two old men sitting in a studio just reading scripts written by a robot? Great, question.
Speaker 2:Pablo, I know that you are real and I know that for all these years, you and I enjoy bouncing biblical insights off of each other, and we usually do it with Holy Spirit kindness. For example, our mental life program is broadcast on some stations where they will not allow us to mention certain controversial topics, especially political topics.
Speaker 1:So you will notice we do not name political names or express our political views on the air, as much as we would sometimes like to express our views, it is better the Apostle James says in chapter 3, verse 1, better to bridle our tongues.
Speaker 2:That is an example of Holy Spirit kindness to speak the truth in love, knowing that God is in control of the earth and all leaders are accountable to Him, not us. The illustrations of Joseph's kindness to his brothers and the good Samaritan's kindness to the injured man both demonstrate the transformative power of kindness. Here's a quote. The robot said the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5, 22-23 are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These fruit are interconnected and complemented with each other. Kindness, for instance, can flow from love and joy, and kindness helps foster peace and patience in relationship. Kindness and goodness go hand in hand. When we act with kindness, we often perform acts of goodness that benefit others.
Speaker 1:Jim, I see quoting something written by chat, GPT, Artificial Intelligence, the same as quoting another author in a book and giving credit for the reference 2 Timothy 3.10 proves that people with patience are observed by others.
Speaker 2:Paul said to Timothy but you, timothy, certainly know what I teach and how I live and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love and my endurance. And to Titus he added teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.
Speaker 1:To quote our robot author, one significant obstacle is the human tendency to be self-centered and focused on our own needs and desires. This self-centeredness can hinder our ability to empathize and show kindness toward others. Before we go further, let me remind you our listeners. This is Men Alive with Dr Jim Cunningham. Send your comments and questions to menaliveantoguard at gmailcom. Now back to Dr Jim and his discussion on kindness.
Speaker 2:The Bible says we are to be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. Kindness and tender-hearted go together. The two words are used in a number of scriptures. For example, colossians 3, 11 to 13 says In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourself with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Take allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Speaker 1:One of the powerful verses on kindness is Romans 2, 11. Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? And again in Romans 11, paul writes and since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works, for in that case God's grace would not be what it really is free and undeserved.
Speaker 2:In verse 22, paul adds Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in His kindness, but if you stop trusting. Scripture says you also will be cut off. If this program was being listened to by a hardened criminal in prison or a gang member or some military person, here she may react and say kindness is for losers, you gotta be tough. Back in the 1980s I remember reading a report from a war zone in Central Asia where a member of a terrorist organization was being interviewed by the media.
Speaker 2:He said those Western soldiers are foolish. They try to be kind to us. They give us a banana, we eat the banana and then we go blow them up.
Speaker 1:I doubt that artificial intelligence would offer an example like that.
Speaker 2:I know Pablo. Many people who do not know Jesus Christ as their savior and follow His teachings believe kindness is for losers and tender-hearted is for suckers. In 1 Peter 3-8, the apostle Peter, the one who, at the crucifixion of our Lord, denied he even knew Jesus, this same Peter writes Finally, all of you should be of one mind, sympathize with each other, love each other as brothers and sisters, be tender-hearted and keep a humble attitude. Our friends at ChatGPT did ask and answer two rather interesting questions. First they asked how can Christians overcome obstacles of self-centeredness and cultivate a spirit of kindness in their lives? Then the artificial intelligence answered their own question and said One way is through prayer and seeking God's help. We can ask God to fill us with His spirit and enable us to reflect His kindness towards others.
Speaker 2:I agree with ChatGPT when it said we need to be intentional about our actions, to put ourselves in others' shoes. This is artificial intelligence. Folks right in this. Okay, you ready? When we show kindness to others, it not only benefits them but also brings a sense of fulfillment and joy to our own hearts they added.
Speaker 1:kindness also has a ripple effect. When someone experiences kindness, they are more likely to pay it forward and show kindness to others. In this way, small acts of kindness can create a chain reaction of positivity in communities and beyond.
Speaker 2:Let me close with a story about kindness.
Speaker 2:My wife Rita worked for many years as a nurse. Two patients were sharing a room when Rita walked in to collect their lunch trays. Both women were 90 years old and both had lived in the same town their entire life. First patients Miltray still had all the food on it. So Rita asked and how did we enjoy lunch today, dearie? Growling response from the feisty woman I wouldn't feed that slot to my pigs.
Speaker 2:Second patients Miltray was finished, everything was gone. Same question as Rita gathered the tray, and how did we enjoy lunch today, dearie? She received a sweet response from a smiling patient who said oh, that was so nice. I haven't had raspberry jello for so long. It was delicious. At her dinner time debrief that evening, rita told the story and then added my theory is that people who are nice at 90 were probably nice at 30 and 50 and 70 as well. When I turn 90, I want to be nice and kind. Ps Rita is kind and has been for her whole Christian life. As all who know her will affirm, kindness is an expression of the inward growth, of the fruit of the Holy Spirit living within her.
Speaker 1:I agree, Jim. It's virtually impossible to pretend to be kind. Sooner or later the facade wears off. When it comes from within, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, it's genuine.
Speaker 2:Kind people are not losers, they are winners. People want to be around a person they can trust to be kind. I found it interesting, pablo, that the computer-generated script ended by saying I would encourage everyone to remember that kindness is not just a mere gesture but a reflection of God's love in us. Let us strive to be vessels of God's kindness in a world that so desperately needs it, so that you and I can say a hearty amen.
Speaker 1:So there you have it, men, a little different dialogue, with some quotes from a robot, but mostly words from our heart, as we seek to be men alive, full of grace and truth, gentle and humble and kind.
Speaker 2:Kind people are not losers, they are winners.
Speaker 1:Men Alive is a production of Go Teach Global. Visit our website at goteachglobalcom. Email Dr Jim at menaliveandtogott at gmailcom. That's menaliveandtogott at gmailcom. Until next time, I'm Paul Osterpitz, on behalf of Dr Jim Cunningham, encouraging you to become men alive, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
