June 12, 2026, 3:00 PM
Greetings in Christ! I pray you are enjoying a good week so far.
We serve an amazing God! Our God shows kindness and love to everyone. God especially wants us to remember those who tend to "get left behind and ignored" -- especially due to disability. We see this in both the Old and New Testaments.
When David became King, he remembered the kindness that the family of Saul (the previous king) had shown him.
In 2 Samuel 9:3, David said, "Is there no one remaining of the house of Saul to whom I could show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan, one who is disabled in both feet."
David then finds Mephibosheth and says to him in 2 Samuel 9:7, "Do not be afraid, for I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you yourself shall eat at my table regularly."
At the start of the church in Acts, Peter and John pay attention to a beggar they pass by. Acts 3:3 records this, "When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money."
They noticed the need and stopped, and Peter said to the crippled man, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." (Acts 3:6)
We may not have the supernatural gift of healing, but WE CAN give people something better -- we can give them Jesus!
In a very real way, we are all disabled and crippled. Maybe not physically, but spiritually from the effects of sin.
May we pray as David did in Psalm 70:5, "But I am afflicted and needy; Hurry to me, God! You are my help and my savior; Lord, do not delay."
When I became the Lead Minister at First Christian Church 3.5 years ago, one of my goals was to cultivate an environment at FCC where those who may have been shunned and overlooked by the rest of the world would feel a loving, warm reception when they came to the church building.
Today, when I look around during our worship services and other activities, I can see this happening! I pray that we will continue to do this!
Bottom Line: As followers of Christ, we are to be friends to those who are considered outcasts by society, showing them LOVE and KINDNESS. In doing that, they are seeing Jesus in us!
Lord, thank You for the riches of Your kindness You show and give to each of us. Help us to always be on the lookout for opportunities to show kindness and extend friendship to others (especially those in need).
FYI: This coming Sunday (06.14.26), I will continue our messages from the Old Testament book of Proverbs with a message on the importance of FRIENDS. The "Company We Keep" really matters!
Would you like to know how to be a truly "Good" Friend? Would you like to know how to recognize some warning signs of unhealthy friendships? Come and find out at FCC this Sunday. Until then...
God Bless,
Greg Herriford
