UNUSUAL KINDNESS

Acts 28:1-10
Key Verse: Acts 28:2
“The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and
cold.”

The title of this message is “Unusual Kindness.” I wanted to clarify up front the meaning of “Unusual Kindness,”
because I don’t want you to be confused. Sometimes the word unusual can mean strange, or weird, but that’s not
the definition I want you to think about today. We will not be talking about “Weird Kindness,” like maybe,
someone who offers to share their toothbrush. That’s a little weird.

The unusual kindness we want to think about today is like an uncommon kindness. It can be an extraordinary
kindness, or it can be an ordinary kindness done with an uncommon attitude. Often, we are kinder, or nicer to
others when we want something or expect something from them. Usually, we are kinder to people we know and
like, or if they can benefit us in some way. Now an unusual kindness then, is where we would show kindness to a
stranger, or where we perform an act of kindness which may not give us benefit. It can also be performing acts of
kindness toward those who cannot pay us back, or where we do not expect to receive anything back.

The Bible says that God has written His law in each of our hearts (Rom 2:15). It doesn’t matter who you are or
where you’re from, there are some universal truths that are common to us all. To help a fellow man or brother
when we see them in need is natural. That is because God has written that in all people’s hearts. Lev 19:34 is a law
God commanded to the Israelites, but it seems that non-Israelites know and obey the same command. It says, “The
foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners
in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” It sounds very similar to the Golden Rule, have you all heard of that? In all
cultures, they seem to know the Golden Rule, “Treat others as you would like others to treat you.” Where did that
rule come from? Though many would not like to admit it, the command to love one another comes from God.

---When ‘kindness’ as such is a rare commodity in this world, we never get to see or hear of unusual kindness !

In the above scripture, we read of the unusual kindness that Apostle Paul received from the people of Malta; when Paul stood firm in
the midst of storm, danger, opposition, unbelief, hunger, loss, pain, uncertainty and said: “So take heart, men, for I have faith in God
that it will be exactly as I have been told”, (Acts 27:25) God blessed his faith and rewarded him with unusual kindness from the hands
of strange people from a strange island. When you do unusual things for God, He would shower you with unusual kindness!

When Jonathan the son of king Saul met David, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David and look what he did, ‘ he stripped
himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.’ David was
overwhelmed by this unusual kindness! He remembered it! When the entire family of Jonathan were killed in the battle except his
crippled son Mephibosheth., David said to him, 2 Samuel 9:7 "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father
Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always." Your unusual kindness would
be remembered and rewarded!

Think of the times you rudely honked at a lady who was nervously driving her car with her baby next to her! Think of the times, you
mocked at your colleague at work, because of his poor language skills or poor dressing sense! Think of the times you sneered at the
waiter in the hotel, liftman, driver, maid or the street vendor! Pause and think friends! When you fail to control your temper and tame
your tongue then your behavior would surely spark a furious backlash. Caveat!

Let us go all out to be unusually kind, loving and affectionate with one another!

Thank God for his unusual kindness, to give us all things freely, including his one and only Son. We lack nothing
in the grace of God. May we show unusual kindness to others, especially brothers and sisters in Christ, because
God first showed unusual kindness to us.