Tag Archives: Kindness

Posted on

Love Is Kind

Love Is Action, Not Abstraction

SYNOPSIS: More than anything else right now, this world needs to be infused with massive doses of kindness, and no other group of people is more equipped to lead the way in flooding Planet Earth with kindness than Christ’s followers. In fact, just about the only currency the Christian community has these days to impact culture is acts of compassion wrapped in genuine kindness. Transforming our culture will not happen by Christians gaining political power or imposing their collective will; neither by cursing the darkness nor by leveraging enormous resources, but by modeling love dressed as simple acts of kindness in the common spaces of life—offering an encouraging word to a friend, humbly serving the poor, giving undivided attention to the marginalized, and last but certainly not least, unconditionally forgiving those who have offended. If we started a revolution of kindness we could change the world!

Making Love Work // 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Among the many expressions the Apostle Paul uses to describe and define agape—that is, the kind of love that characterizes God himself—one of the most profound of his descriptions is that love is kind. I will say it again: love is kind.

Think for a moment where kindness begins: God’s loving-kindness to you. And that is precisely where your kindness toward others is rooted—in God’s kindness. Romans 3:23-24 tells us,

All of us have sinned…yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending Him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in His kindness freely takes away all our sins. (LB)

Simply because He is kind, God has wiped clean your record. There’s no condemnation if you put your faith in Christ. That is good news! Consider this: Even before you were born, God already knew every evil, mean and nasty thing you would say and do. Yet He still made you and He still loves you, and He still sent Jesus to die in your place.

That is the kindness of God, and that is precisely why Paul said in Ephesians 4:32,

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

You can take a giant step toward a harvest of the kindness fruit in your life (after all, kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit) by forgiving people who have offended you. And that is precisely your assignment today—mine, too: Go down the list of offended, estranged, or strained relationships, and simply, unconditionally, fully and personally forgive them—even if they don’t deserve it! Jesus said in Luke 6:35,

Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

There is simply no more compelling witness than God’s kindness on display through you. Romans 2:4 asks, “Can’t you see that God’s kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” God’s kindness toward you, even though you have sinned against Him, draws you back to Him. And so it is that the kindness you demonstrate by forgiving those who have sinned against you will be the very thing that draws them back into a restored relationship with you—and perhaps even God if they have wandered from Him.

Love is the most powerful force for good in the universe. When you are kind, you transform love the noun into a verb—love becomes an action, not an abstraction. Arguably, love clothed as kindness is the most powerful force on earth, precisely because most people know very little about genuine kindness.

More than anything else right now, our world needs massive doses of kindness, and Christ-followers ought to lead the way modeling it. We have the power to change a life, a community, a nation—not by gaining political power, not by imposing our will, not by cursing the darkness, not by giving away enormous resources—but by love dressed as simple acts of kindness, again, not the least of which is through forgiveness.

Let’s start a revolution of kindness—let’s change the world!

Take A Moment: With whom do you need to demonstrate kindness today? And what expression of kindness will be most meaningful to them—forgiveness, an encouraging word, an act of service, giving them your undivided attention? Give them a gift of kindness and so show yourself to be a true child of your infinitely kind Father in Heaven.

Posted on

A Competition of Kindness

The Essence of Authentic Christianity

SYNOPSIS: Love is the true essence of Christianity, Jesus taught. But love is no vague notion in the Bible; it’s an action. And there is a word for love-in-action in scripture, and it’s called kindness. Love and kindness go together, and kindness is simply put, love acting out. Furthermore, among other things, kindness is rooted in compassion (to feel in your guts, literally) and it is expressed in the most compelling of ways, through forgiveness. Kindness: your love acting out in compassion and forgiveness. Hebrews 10:24 says, “In response to all God has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind…” (TLB) In other words, in gratitude for all that God has done for us, you and I are to engage in a “competition of kindness” with one another. What do you say that go for the gold in that competition!

Project 52—Memorize:
Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

One day a man came to Jesus and said “Lord, what’s the most important verse in the whole Bible.”  Jesus said “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  That summarizes the entire Bible.”  (Matthew 22:36-40, Free Translation)

That’s the whole essence of Christianity. Jesus was saying that nothing matters more in life than relationships—with God, first, and with others running a close second. You can be successful in every other area of life, but if you are failing in your relationships, you are in danger of failure in God’s book. Galatians 4:14  puts it succinctly yet powerfully: “For the whole Bible is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Jesus said the identifying hallmark of authentic Christianity, is love. John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Not that you have Bible knowledge, not that you give money to start churches in the unreached world, not that you are a deacon or teacher or soloist in your church, but that you love.

Now there is a word for love in action in the Bible, and it’s called kindness. Love and kindness go together, and kindness is simply love in action.  Furthermore, Paul indicates that kindness, among other things, is rooted in compassion (to feel in your guts, literally) and expressed in the most compelling way of all, through forgiveness. Love in action: kindness, compassion, forgiveness. Titus 3:4-5 reminds us, “when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…” 

When you are kind, love moves beyond thought or feeling and you take action in a practical way. There is so much power in kindness because our world knows very little about genuine kindness. It knows a lot about selfishness, violence, and hatred. That’s why what the world needs more than anything else right now is massive doses of kindness, and Christians ought to be leading the way, showing our world this kind of love in action. You and I have the power to change a life, a community, a world—not by political power, not by imposing our will, not by enormous resources—but by Spirit-empowered acts of kindness.

It might be interesting to note that the Greek word for kindness is “chrestos”.  That’s just one letter different from the Greek word for Christ, “Christos”. When the first church began 2000 years ago, chrestos and Christos were often confused in the Roman Empire—they thought Christians were simply people who believed in kindness. It was known as the “kind religion.” What a thing to be confused with! And what a powerful thing their kindness was, In a mere 300 years, this small band of kind ones won over a hostile empire.

Has anyone ever confused your Christianity with kindness? The truth is, our lives will be evaluated not just on what we said we believed, but on how we treated other people. This isn’t just some minor issue, it’s the heart of Christianity.  The core of our faith is this love in action. And at the nucleus of love in action is kindness. In the Living Bible, Hebrews 10:24 says, “In response to all God has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind…” 

God says in light of what He’s done for us, we are to engage in a “competition of kindness” with one another.

I hope you go for the gold in that competition.

“Because of God’s deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others…” ~Colossians 3:12 (LB)

Who needs your proactive and practical kindness today? Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” So, get after it!

A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve. —Joseph Joubert.

Reflect and Apply:  The more understanding you are of a person, the kinder you’re going to be to them.  That is why it is so easy to be unkind to strangers. Reflect on Hebrews 4:15-16—one of the most comforting truths about how Christ perceives us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” Now, work on gaining a greater understanding of the people in your life with whom you have the greatest difficulty being kind.

Posted on

The Object of God’s Kindness

ThanksLiving: 365 Days of Gratitude

Apart from grace, we are refugees. That is our identity. But out of his covenantal kindness and faithfulness and love, we are brought into God’s family, assigned a permanent and rightful place at his table, given a new identity and destiny, and showered with grace, not due to our own merit, but for the sake of Jesus—hallelujah! We are the object of God’s undeserved kindness.

Going Deep // Focus: 2 Samuel 9:1

King David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

David was looking for an object of kindness because of his incredible love for Jonathan. Jonathan was his best friend in life, and his love for this treasured friend was not even diminished by death. Now David found a way to continue his love by showing kindness to Jonathan’s surviving son, Mephibosheth, who was now a young man living in obscurity in a far away place. Mephibosheth had been permanently disabled when he was dropped as a child by his nurse as King Saul’s household fled in panic at news of the king’s defeat. (2 Samuel 4:4)

The Hebrew word for “kindness” in this verse is very interesting—its “chesed”. It is a complex word that is narrowly translated as “love”. It describes a love that is more than just an idea or a feeling or the spontaneous emotion of the moment. Rather, it refers to a sustained action.

You might say that “chesed” is kindness with hands and feet. It is undeserved, unconditional, un-repayable, unrelenting kindness that is offered without regard to shifting circumstance, personal convenience or one’s emotional state du jour. Actually, “chesed” is God’s love—the way God loves you and me.

We see this kind of Old Testament “chesed” in action in Titus 3:3-7 and as the New Testament marriage of God’s kindness and love for us: “At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another…”

That is, we were like “Mephibosheth, who at the time David found him, was living in bitterness and fear in Lo-Debar”. Literally, Lo-Debar means “the barren place”. And as the only living heir to Saul’s dynasty, Mephibosheth’s whereabouts was kept secret, for obvious reasons now that David was the new king. He grew up as a refugee in this barren place with his kingly identity suppressed, his royal privileges denied, with no hope for the future except obscurity, poverty and, if he’s ever discovered, execution. And to make an already bad situation worse, his physical handicap was a painful, frustrating, and constant reminder of the life he’d lost and that would be his forever.

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior…”

Sound familiar? “Is there anyone from Saul’s house I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

“So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs, having the hope of eternal life.”

Notice the similarity to something repeated four times in 2 Samuel 9:7, 10, 11, and 13: “Mephibosheth will always eat at my table.”

You will also note that Mephiboseth’s name is repeated seven times. Why the repetition? David is going out of his way to show that Mephibosheth has a permanent place in the king’s family—that is now his new destiny—royalty restored! David is also going out of his way to show that Mephibosheth’s name is no longer an object of loathing, but an object of loving. Mephibsoheth, which was likely a nickname, means “seething dishonor”. (1 Chronicles 9:40) But the king whispers his name, and a hopeless refugee is now a redeemed child—that’s his new identity.

Now if that is not a picture of our reconciliation to God through Christ I don’t know what is! Think about it! We are Mephibosheth in this story: We too, suffered a fall that left us crippled! We have a permanent sin-limp to prove it. We too, were estranged from God—distant in Lo-Debar, the barren place—a place of emptiness and dissatisfaction. We too, lived under the fear of judgment.

That was our identity—refugees apart from grace. But out of his covenantal kindness and faithfulness and love, we were brought into God’s family, given a place at his table, given a new identity and destiny, and showered with grace, not due to our own merit, but for the sake of Jesus—Hallelujah!

We are the object of his undeserved kindness.

Going Deeper With God: Go back and re-read this obscure chapter. Change the names to read yourself and Jesus into the story. David was a type of Christ and you are Mephibosheth. And take a moment to rejoice, since it is you who is the recipients of God’s unconditional, unrelenting, un-repayable love. The good news is, God really does prefer you as the object of his kindness.

Posted on

A Competition Of Kindness

Reflect:
Ephesians 4:32

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

One day a man came to Jesus and said “Lord, what’s the most important verse in the whole Bible.” Jesus said “Love God and love your neighbor as your-self. That summarizes the entire Bible.” (Matthew 22:36-40, Free Translation)

That’s the whole essence of Christianity. Jesus was saying that nothing matters more in life than relationships—with God, first, and with others running a close second. You can be successful in every other area of life, but if you are failing in your relationships, you are in danger of failure in God’s book.

Jesus said the identifying hallmark of authentic Christianity, is love. John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Not that you have Bible knowledge, not that you give money to start churches in the unreached world, not that you are a deacon or teacher or soloist in your church, but that you love.

Now there is a word for love in action in the Bible, and it’s called kindness. Love and kindness go together, and kindness is simply love in action. Titus 3:4-5 reminds us, “when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…”

When you are kind, love moves beyond thought or feeling and you take action in a practical way. There is so much power in kindness because our world knows very little about genuine kindness. It knows a lot about selfishness, violence and hatred. That’s why what the world needs more than anything else right now is massive doses of kindness, and Christians ought to be leading the way, showing our world this kind of love in action. You and I have the power to change a life, a community, a world—not by political power, not by imposing our will, not by enormous resources—but by Spirit-empowered acts of kindness.

It might be interesting to note that the Greek word for kindness is “chrestos”. That’s just one letter different from the Greek word for Christ, “Christos”. When the first church began 2000 years ago, chrestos and Christos were often confused in the Roman Empire—they thought Christians were simply people who believed in kindness. It was known as the “kind religion”. What a thing to be confused with! And what a powerful thing their kindness was, In a mere 300 years, this small band of kind ones won over a hostile empire.

Has anyone ever confused your Christianity with kindness? The truth is, our lives will be evaluated not just on what we said we believed, but on how we treated other people. This isn’t just some minor issue, it’s the heart of Christianity. The core of our faith is this love in action. And at the nucleus of love in action is kindness. In the Living Bible, Hebrews 10:24 says, “In response to all God has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind…”

God says in light of what He’s done for us, we are to engage in a “competition of kindness” with one another.

I hope you go for the gold in that competition.

“Because of God’s deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others…” ~Colossians 3:12 (LB)

Reflect and Apply: The more understanding you are of a person, the kinder you’re going to be to them. That is why it is so easy to be unkind to strangers. Reflect on Hebrews 4:15-16—one of the most comforting truths about how Christ perceives us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” Now, work on gaining greater understanding of the people in your life with whom you have the greatest difficulty being kind.