Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Psalm 41:1-3 (NLT)
Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.
The fruit of kindness is one the more visible fruits of our relationship with Christ. Kindness plays a part in every decision we make and every encounter we have with other people. Also, and I don’t think this is any coincidence, our kindness grows as our patience grows. In order for us to fully love others as God commands us to, we must develop both. Paul tells us that love is both patient and kind. Patience and kindness are two different things yet they work as one.
As we’ve discussed over the past few days, patience involves a passive approach. Waiting. Expecting. Kindness is just the opposite. To exhibit kindness is to actively show love to others. This love is in our heads and in our spirits. Growing in kindness means changing the way we think. As we grow, we begin to put the needs of others above our own needs. Solomon tells us the following in his book of Proverbs:
Proverbs 3:3-4 (NLT)
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.
We should definitely be kind to people for no other fact than that we are called to love them but furthermore, it is only through kindness that we will have an opportunity tell of, and more importantly show tangibly, the love of Christ. The story of grace. They depth of God’s mercy. The freedom found in the Gospel story of Jesus Christ.
All of these posts that we hitch our faith to are on display when we are kind to others.
Choose kindness.
