Pennant Race

KINDNESS BRINGS OUT KINDNESS IN OTHERS.

Bible Reading of the Day: Read 2 Samuel 10:1-2.

Verse of the Day: “Always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:15, NIV).

“Wow!” cried Nathan. “What a game!”

He and his dad leaped out of their seats in the baseball stadium after their favorite team had come from behind-twice-to win the game in thirteen innings.

“It was great, wasn’t it?” Dad said.

“Thanks for buying the tickets and taking me, Dad,” Nathan said. “You’re welcome, Son, but I didn’t buy the tickets.”

“You didn’t?” Nathan said.

Dad shook his head. “The tickets were given to me by Mr. Grant.” “He just gave them to you?”

Dad shrugged. “Yeah, I helped him cut down a few trees a few weeks ago, so he said when he got a pair of tickets for this game, I was the first person he thought of.” “He just gave them to you?”

Dad nodded, smiling. “Out of the goodness of his heart,” he said.

“Wow,” Nathan said. “That’s really cool.”

“Well, we’ll have to be sure to let him know how much fun we had and how much we appreciate his kindness.”

Just then, as they walked through the stadium gate and onto the large concrete plaza, Nathan spied a man selling sports pennants. “Can I get one, Dad?” he asked.

Dad nodded, and Nathan dug into his pocket for money. He raced over to the man, bought a pennant bearing the home team logo, and then dashed back to his dad’s side as they walked together toward the car.

“What are you going to do with that pennant, Son?” Dad asked. “Are you going to hang it on the wall in your bedroom?”

Nathan twirled the pennant in his hand. “No,” he answered proudly. “I’m going to give it to Mr. Grant.”

Dad’s eyes opened wide, and he smiled broadly. “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” he said. “A wonderful idea.”

TO DISCUSS: Although Nahash’s kindness to David was rewarded by David’s efforts to be kind to Nahash’s son, David’s kindness to Hanun was not rewarded by Hanun. (The rest of the story of David and the Ammonites is found in 2 Samuel 10:3-19.) Sometimes that happens. Kindness is not always rewarded in this life, but which do you think usually has more positive benefits: kindness or unkindness? Why?

TO PRAY: “Lord, help us see the ways that our kindness to others often brings kindness back to us.”