Extreme Kindness

<p>Fast-food restaurant worker Kevin Ford hadn&rsquo;t missed a shift in twenty-seven years. After a video surfaced showing his humble gratitude for a modest gift he received to commemorate his decades of service, thousands of people rallied together to show kindness to him. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a dream, a dream come true, that nobody can even think of</p> <p>this,&rdquo; he said when a fundraising effort brought in $250,000 in just over a week. <br />Jehoiachin, the exiled king of Judah, was also the recipient of extreme kindness. He&rsquo;d been incarcerated for thirty-seven years before the benevolence of the Babylonian king resulted in his release. &ldquo;[The king] freed him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon&rdquo; (Jeremiah 52:31&ndash;32). Jehoiachin was given a new position, new clothes, and a new residence. His new life was fully funded by the king. </p> <p>This story pictures what happens spiritually when, out of no contributions from themselves or others, believers in Jesus&rsquo; death and resurrection are rescued from their estrangement from God. They&rsquo;re brought from darkness and death into light and life; they&rsquo;re brought into the family of God because of the extreme kindness of God.</p>