What you are doing is much more than a service that supplies God's people with what they need. It is something that will make many others thank God. (2Co 9:12 CEV)
Why are acts of kindness emphasized so much in the bible? Perhaps it's because as a people, we're more often reigned by our minds rather than our hearts. Reason will sometimes prevent us from helping based on a more pragmatic analysis of the situation - will helping protect also our interest, is it safe, is the benefit more than the cost, etc.
But to those who have gotten over the initial hill of difficulty, the bible promises several things. First, we are told that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7). Second, He can bless the giver with everything he needs so that he will always have more than enough to do many more kinds of good things for others (v. 8). He can also increase what the person has so that he can give even more to those in need (v. 10).
The most immediate return to a person's act of giving and helping is when the one being helped gives thanks. Giving thanks for something freely received is a recognition of the goodness of the thing received. Thanksgiving in a way also becomes an act of appreciation, of seeing value in the gift. But there's even a better side to thanksgiving that warrants mention. When the receiver gives thanks not only to the actual giver but to God (v. 12). This is the most desirable return of all because it brings honor and praise to God (v. 13). It also creates an atmosphere of blessedness where the giver is himself also replenished and blessed even more.
If we think about it, surely there are times when we have been recipient of kindness from someone. Perhaps that's what inspired us to do the same. If not, we can still be the one to inspire someone to be kind by making the first move. There was once a film titled "Pay It Forward" where one act of kindness triggered another and then another until a geometic progression developed and random acts of kindness reached global proportions. Indeed, kindness begets kindness. If no one has ever shown us one, let's think about the kindness of God to us and surely we will be inspired to give back some.
