Bad to the Bone

Read this bumper sticker many years ago; "Mean People &$@/#%^*". I bet you read it too.

I have to admit, I agree with this bumper sticker theology. Mean people repel me about as much as the sight and stench of Catfish Charlie, (only scum sucking bottom feeders could be baited by that stuff). Truthfully, I bet I have been like Catfish Charlie to many, many folk through the years. There is no upside to meanness. None.

"Bad" used to mean just that...BAD. I wonder if Michael Jackson can be credited with making bad, good. Folk want to be "bad" now. Bad is the new "good" and has been for some time. Kinda like your 40th Birthday is the the new 39. Rolling Stone Magazine said that Bad Company made great music back in the 70's. Muhammad Ali touted that he was a "Bad Man" after he put a beat down on then Heaveyweight Champion, Sonny Liston. The Marines say that they are looking for a few good men. We "send in the Marines" because they are the "baddest of the bad". If the Marines cross the border...not a good thing for the folk they engage...at all.

I realized the other day that God's kindness drove me to Him and still does. "Do you not know that the kindness of God is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4). When Peter (one tough Catfish Charlie type) realized Who Jesus really was, he fell to his face and worshiped Him. That happened after Jesus filled Pete's boat with more fish than the guys on Big Shrimpin. When Peter realized that was the recipient of God's unmeasured kindness, he dropped to his knees on the spot. Read Luke 5:1-8 and you will see what I mean.

"Let kindness and truth never leave you,(Proverbs 3:3). Some folk love to hit you with the Bible like a Sledgehammer. I guess they have this notion that the God of the Bible is one Bad Man. No wonder so many steer clear of Him and "His people" as much as possible. When His Spirit and truth are alive in you, you can see these evidences;

You will be kind instead of combative,
The inflection of your voice will be inviting,
Your disagreements won't become shouting matches,
You will trump injustice with grace,
Your acts of kindness will lead folk toward the Gospel, not from it.

It's really about spiritual character. Are you growing in God's kindness quotient? In the long run, your spouse, your kids, your work associates, classmates and fellow believers will respond more to you and to Jesus through kindness, not badness. Think about it the next time you feel compelled to put someone in their place. If the Heavenly Father treated you with anything less than His kindness...would you really want that?

Adopt a Personal Growth Plan and start today. Go to www.camdenbc.com and jump into a 40 Day strategy that is being offered so that you can make marked spiritual and character gains in 2012.

And keep away from Catfish Charlie too!