Hey there, it’s me again and It’s week 4 of 9 on our Journey through the nine Fruits of the Spirit. This week we will be focusing on kindness. I believe we all know what kindness is, and even believe it to be quite an attainable fruit in our lives, right? Important to note: “There is always room for improvement, it’s the biggest room in the world (words of wisdom from my pastor)” #stayteachable #stayhumble
This study is not intended to bring condemnation, nor is it intended to inspire perfection. We all have missed the mark in the area of kindness (rather it’s been with our spouse, our children, or even with a mere stranger). The goal is not perfection, but to encourage and inspire you on your Personal Faith Journey as you are diligent to pursue God, and to pursue His purpose for your life. For those of us that are born-again believers, kindness can be a tool, and a witness to a lost and dying world. It is also evidence that we are walking after the things of the spirit, and not after the things of the flesh. #Relationship #GoodMorningHolySpirit Here are a few golden nuggets from this week’s study (My prayer is that it will bless you just as much as it has blessed me);
Kindness comes from the Greek word “chrestos” (chraystos) and means “to make oneself useful to another, make things easier, smoother,” It refers to how we treat people and acts that we do to make other’s lives easier or better.
- Being polite doesn’t scratch the surface of what kindness is really all about. God calls us to be compassionate towards those in need, even toward those we may not particularly like. “Compassion” means to care about another person’s needs and to want to help that person even when it costs us time or money. Jesus told a story about the Good Samaritan to teach His disciples what real kindness is.
- When we are kind to someone without expecting anything in return, we are showing compassion. God’s kind of kindness is when you do something kind for someone else when you don’t have to and when you don’t expect to get anything in return. Just like love, joy, peace, and patience; kindness is not just a feeling, it’s an action word. God’s kind of kindness is self-sacrificing; it’s having compassion on others and being willing to share with them, even if it means giving all you have. Sharing what you have with others shows your love for God and brings kindness to other people. Even though we may not always feel like sharing, it’s not only a way to show kindness, but it is also a way to show our love for God.
- Speaking kind words to others can change a person’s heart and make that person also want to be kind. We can show kindness with our words, our thoughts, and our actions. This may not always be an easy job. We may be in a grouchy mood and really have to work at being kind. Or we may meet someone else who is grouchy, and it’s often hard to be kind to someone who is especially rude or mean.
- Remember God’s kindness to us. It’s easy to be kind to people that are kind to you. It’s a lot harder to be kind to someone who is mean to you. But that’s exactly what God wants us to do.
God wants us to be kind to everyone all the time. By knowing Jesus and keeping him in our hearts, we can show kindness all the time. Kindness is the spiritual fruit that helps others in practical, thoughtful, caring ways with no thought of getting something in return. When we have Jesus in our lives, we want to show kindness all the time. That’s one way we grow the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit.
Scripture References:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
