A Godly Example

Often times, when I think of different Godly women in the Bible, the more commonly spoken of ones come to mind such as Ruth, Esther, the Proverbs 31 woman, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary and Martha, and the list goes on. But there is one woman from whom so much can be learned, although only one verse in the whole of Scripture speaks of her.

“Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.” Acts 9:36

What a testimony this verse is of the life of Tabitha! Firstly we see that she is a disciple, a follower and student of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The verse goes on to say that she “was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.” There are several key words in this verse, one of which is the word 'abound' which means: “to have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied; to be in great plenty; to be very prevalent.” Tabitha was abounding with deed of kindness and charity, they were so plentiful, so prevalent in her life that this is what she was known for.

Some words, such as kindness, are so commonly used, that many times we don't even entirely grasp the fullness of what they mean. Kindness is defined as: “that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses.” From the definition, we can see that kindness would be having a servant's heart and a selfless attitude; looking to the needs of others, caring so much about someone else's needs that we go out of our way to bless them. It may even be something so simple as a smile, a loving note, or a helping hand.

Much like kindness, charity is described as “love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good.” The Greek word for charity is eleemosune which means: mercy, pity, giving. Again, it is a care for others, those who are needy, not only physically, but spiritually as well.

The word in Acts 9:36 that struck me the most was the word 'continually'. It must not be just an occasional occurrence, or something that happens two or three times a day. The word continually means “without pause or cessation; unceasingly; as, the ocean is continually rolling its waves on the shore.” This is what we, as disciples of Christ, must strive for every single day, out of both love and obedience to our Lord. Just as the ocean never ceases its waves, so our deeds of kindness and charity must always be abounding, never ceasing.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

*All definitions are taken from Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language unless otherwise noted.


-Posted by Leah