God's Loving-Kindness Brings Relief And Protection
 
Next, let us consider Genesis chapter  39.  It centers on Abraham's great-grandson Joseph, who was sold into slavery in Egypt.  Nevertheless, "Jehovah proved to be with Joseph." (Verses 1, 2) In fact, even Joseph's Egyptian master, Potiphar, concluded that Jehovah was with Joseph.  (Verse 3) However, Joseph faced a very serious test.  He was falsely accused of sexually assaulting Potiphar's wife and was imprisoned. (Verses 7-20) It was "in the prison hole" that "with fetters they afflicted his feet, into irons his soul came." - Genesis 40:15; Psalm 105:18.
 
What happened during that particularly trying experience?  "Jehovah continued with Joseph and kept extending loving-kindness to him." (Verse 21a) A  particular act of loving-kindness set in motion a series of events that later led to relief from the troubles that Joseph was experiencing.  Jehovah granted Joseph "to find favor in  the eyes of the chief officer of the prison house."  (Verse 21b) Consequently, the officer assigned Joseph a responsible position.  (Verse 22) Next, Joseph met the man who eventually brought him to the attention of Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. (Genesis  40:1-4, 9-15; 41:9-14) In turn, the king elevated Joseph to the position of second ruler in Egypt, resulting in his performing a life-saving work in the famine -stricken land of Egypt.  (Genesis 41:37-55) Joseph's suffering began when he was 17 years old and lasted for more than a dozen years!  (Genesis 37:2, 4; 41:46) But throughout all those years of distress and affliction, Jehovah God manifested his loving-kindness toward Joseph by protecting him from utter calamity and by preserving him for a priviledged role in the divine purpose.
 
Next time: God's Loving-Kindness Never Fails

Jehovah's Loving-Kindness And His Guidance
 
In Genesis chapter 24, we read about another expression of divine loving-kindness, or loyal love.  The account relates that Abraham commissioned his servant to travel to the country of Abraham's relatives to find a wife for his son Issac.  (Verses 2-4) The mission was difficult, but the servant was assured that Jehovah's angel would guide him. (Verse 7) Eventually the servant reached a well outside "the city of Nahor" (either Haran or a nearby place) just when the women were  approaching to draw water. (Verses 10, 11) When he saw the women coming closer, he knew that the crucial moment of his mission had arrived. But how could he ever single out the right woman?
 
Aware that he needed divine help, Abraham's servant prayed: "Jehovah the God of my master Abraham, cause it to happen, please, before me this day and perform loving-kindness with my master Abraham." (Verse 12) How would Jehovah express his loving-kindness?  The servant asked for a specific sign by which he could identify the young woman of God's choosing.  (Verses 13, 14) One woman did exactly what he had asked of Jehovah.  Why, it was as if she had overheard the prayer! (Verses 15-20) Astounded, the servant "was gazing at her in wonder." Still, some vital facts needed to be determined. Was this good-looking woman one of Abraham's relatives?  And was she still unmarried?  So the servant remained "silent to know whether Jehovah had made his trip successful or not." - Verses 16,21.
 
Shortly thereafter, the young woman identified herself as "the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to [Abraham's brother] Nahor."  (Genesis 11:26; 24:24) at that moment the servant realized that Jehovah had answered his prayer.  Overwhelmed, he bowed down and said:  "Blessed be Jehovah the God of my master Abraham, who has not left his loving-kindness and his trustworthiness toward my master.  I being on the way, Jehovah has led me to the house of the brothers of my master."  (Verse 27) By providing guidance, God showed loving-kindness to the servant's master, Abraham.
 
Next time: God's Loving-Kindness Brings Relief And Protection

Deliverance-An Expression Of Loving-Kindness

Perhaps the best way to determine the scope of Jehovah's loving-kindness is to examine Scriptural accounts involving this quality. At Genesis 14:1-16, we find that Lot, the nephew of Abraham was carried off by enemy forces. But Abraham rescued Lot. Lot's life was again in danger when Jehovah decided to destroy the wicked city of Sodom, where Lot and his family were living. - Genesis 18:20-22; 19:12, 13.

Just before the destruction of Sodom, Jehovah's angels escorted Lot and his family out of the city. At that time, Lot said: Your servant has found favor in your eyes so that you are magnifying your loving-kindness, which you have exercised with me to preserve my soul alive." (Genesis 19:16, 19) With these words Lot acknowledged that Jehovah had shown exceptional loving-kindness by rescuing him. In this case God's loving-kindness was expressed through deliverance and preservation. - 2 Peter 2:7.

Different From Love And Loyalty

Loving-kindness, or loyal love, is closely related to the qualities of love and loyalty. Yet, it differs from them in important ways. Consider how loving-kindness and love differ. Love can be extended to things and concepts. The Bible speaks of "loving wine and oil" and "loving wisdom." (Proverbs 21:17; 29:3) But loving-kindness has to do with people, not concepts or inanimate things. For instance, people are involved when Exodus 20:6 says that Jehovah is "exercising loving-kindness toward the thousandth generation."

The Hebrew word rendered "loving-kindness" is also more encompassing than the word "loyalty." In some languages, "loyalty" is often used for the attitude a subordinate should show toward a superior. But as one researcher notes, from a Biblical standpoint, loving-kindness "refers more often to just the opposite direction of relationship: the powerful is loyal to the weak or needy or dependant." King David could therefore petition Jehovah: "Do cause your face to shine upon your servant. Save me in your loving-kindness." (Psalm 31:16) Jehovah, the powerful one, is asked to show loving-kindness, or loyal love, to the needy one, David. Since the needy have no authority over the powerful, the loving-kindness shown in such a case is displayed willingly, not under compulsion.

"Who is wise?" asked the psalmist. "He will...show himself attentive toward Jehovah's acts of loving-kindness." (Psalm 107:43) Jehovah's loving-kindness can result in deliverance preservation. (Psalm 6:4; 119:88, 159) It is a protection and a factor bringing relief from troubles. (Psalm 31:16, 21; 40:11; 143:12) Because of this quality, recovery from sin is possible. (Psalm 25:78) By reviewing certain Scriptural narratives and noting other Bible texts, we will see that Jehovah's loving-kindness is (1)expressed by specific actions and (2) experienced by his faithful servants.

Next time: Deliverance-An Expression Of Loving-Kindness

Benefiting From Jehovah's Loving Kindness

Some 4,000 years ago, Abraham's nephew Lot said of Jehovah: "You are magnifying your loving-kindness." (Genesis 19:19) This is the first time the expression "loving-kindness" appears in the Bible. Jacob, Naomi, David, and other servants of God also spoke about this quality of Jehovah. (Genesis 32:10; Ruth 1:8; 2 Samuel 2:6) In fact, the terms "loving-kindness" and "loving-kindnesses" occur some 250 times in the New World Translation Of The Holy Scriptures. But what is Jehovah's loving-kindness? To whom was it shown in the past? And how do we benefit from it today?

In the Scriptures, "loving-kindness" is a translation of a Hebrew term so rich in meaning that most languages have no single word exactly expressing its full sense. Thus, such renderings as "love," "mercy," and "Faithfulness" do not capture its complete breadth of meaning. However, the more comprehensive rendering "loving-kindness" is "not far from the fullness of meaning of the word," notes the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures - With References appropriately gives "loyal love" as an alternate rendering of the Hebrew term translated "loving-kindness." - Exodus 15:13; Psalm 5:7; footnote.

Next time: Different From Love And Loyalty

Those Who Love You


If anyone should hurt you
And say a thing unkind
Remember what I tell you,
And keep these things in mind.

For everyone who makes you cry
There are three who make you smile,
And a smile will last a long long time,
But a tear just a little while.

If someone says a thing that's cruel
Don't let it get to you
There's so much good about you,
And your faults are very few.

So if a certain someone
Should act a certain way
Just think of those who love you
And don't let it ruin your day.

Don't let someone who hates the world
Cause you to hate it too,
For behind the clouds is a golden sun
And a sky that's bright and blue!

What's Wrong With People?

What is wrong with these idiot apartment managers who think they are God's gift to the residents who live there? And why and how do they get away with being discriminating against white people. They re-assign parking places so that their mexican friends can have the best parking places and give the crappy ones to us white people, what is with that? I mean it is bad enough that they don't want to fix things when they need to be fixed. Maybe someone with a great job and some money should sue these idiots. I would, but I don't have any. Heck, I don't even know who to go to, to turn these turncoats in, but, I intend to find out. These mexicans get away with everything and they lie so bloody damn well that almost everyone believes them. Not me! I have worked with them and all I have seen them do is lie and steal and cheat to get whatever they wanted. They get jobs because they are very cheap to get to work for you. Mostly because they have no green card and they are fresh from the border. They are also rude, crude, mean, obnoxious and you name it. They do not care about bettering themselves by getting an education. Sure, there are a few, but the percentage is very low. How could they have time? They are spending all their time in bed multiplying like rabbits. Well, I guess if you act like a wild animal, you may as well produce like one, as well. It just makes me sick. I have no use for a race that not only steals, lies, cheats and produces like a rabbit, but have no consideration for others they either live next to or live above. I was not brought up to feel like this until I came here and got stabbed in the back by one of these creatures who has no class nor any sense at all. They are of a different breed here, then other places I have lived before. I guess when you have a relative that is mexican, you can manage apartments any way you want. Huh?

What is wrong with Doctor's offices? Doesn't it seem like they want more money all the time,but they seem to care less and less? Evertime I go to my doctor's office, I end up very upset, in a bad mood and with a headache I did not have before. All they want is money. And they treat you like you are pond scum or bottom feed. They don't tell you why they do things to you, nor what they are doing, they have no time for you to ask a question, nor tell them how you are feeling, and if they do ask, they really either don't listen or they cut you off in the middle of it or you get interrupted by the nurse or something. And if you make a complaint about anything at all, they act like they are the ones who were insulted. I thought they took the hypocratic oath to help and to heal people? It is more like they are hippocrites intstead. I never feel any better after I have gone to my doctor's, yet, I cannot change doctors, because I not only can afford to start all over again, but they to me are all the same. Non Feeling Hypocrites. They are in cahoots with all the pharmacies and all the blood labs and all the diagnostic places. They all get kick backs, if they recommend you go get tests done, even if you don't need it. They are suppose to treat the person. Find out what symptoms they are having and how they are and have been feeling, not say, just go get a test, its been a year. Big Whoop! That does not mean, you need it, it means, go give the blood labs some business, so they can get rich and the pharmacies etc.. What happened to counting on God to heal? Doesn't anyone believe in him anymore? There is a doctor called Doctor Day, she did not need doctors to heal her. She went to God and also started eating right and that healed her. Most Doctor's don't believe in God, because they think they are one. And if you tell them that you plan to sue a doctor of malpractice, because a previous doctor almost killed you, they will talk you out of it, because birds of a feather stick together. I know there are a lot of people suing everyone right now,but most of those are stupid complaints and it is because they are too lazy to go out and work and they think they will get rich from a law suit, but if you sue only because you have a valid reason, like almost dying because of one, then that makes sense, but there aren't many people around anymore that have any sense at all, much less common sense. I have worked in the medical field and I got out of it because of all of this, plus the nurses are burnt out and doctors are burnt out and rude because of overload, because of sheer greed. But we all have to put up with this crap because we have no choice in the matter, if something happens to us and god forbid we end up either in the hospital or actually need an x-ray for something. They are a bunch of unfeeling, inhuman cash registers who see us as a dollar sign coming. And the thing about billing or not billing. The people who actually pay their bills are punished because of other people who feel they don't owe anything to the doctors who treat them. I know someone who only got their blood pressure, respirations, pulse and the doctor looked in his/her eyes and checked their refects in their legs and felt of their glands around the neck and had the nurse to write a couple of prescriptions and then did not get it right and that was $70.00? Then told them to get a lab test done. Now, they feel like they just wasted their time even getting up to go. Then they did not want to bill them, because they did not have anything to pay. They had never had trouble before in getting billed and they always pay their bill. I know this for a fact. So, therefore they are getting punished for someone else's asinine irresponsibility and that is not fair nor right. The best thing to do, if you can afford it, is to go to one of these chinese herbalist and tell them what it is you are feeling and they will fix you up and be good as new. Or you can go to an acupuncture doctor. I know they work as well, because I met a woman who said that one had helped her sister learn to walk again, because the doctor had told her she would never get out of a wheel chair. That is a doctor playing god. You have to want to do something or you have to want to live very badly and you have to believe in God as well and have lots of faith in God, or you may not get anywhere at all. That is the truth.