Kindness Pt. 2
Luke 6:27-36, Ephesians 4:32, 1 Thessalonians 5:15
God’s heart of kindness and His display of kindness is not merely for us to receive; it is our responsibility to reflect and replicate this kindness to the world. We act in kindness not merely to be kind to brothers and sisters in Christ and those outside of God's family, but to show the people in those relationships what God is like. People experience God’s kindness in real ways through the way we act towards and treat them.
Kindness is not just the action of goodness but doing it from the heart, a willing and tender heart. One of the ways we can live kindness as the people of God is to be consistent in being kind and to do so for all people, not just some. In Luke 6:35, we see that we mirror God’s kindness to others when we love, do good, and lend to the ungrateful. The kindness of God is not a reciprocal kindness; it is constant under all circumstances. Now, this can be difficult because it is not easy to be kind to those who are ungrateful. However, that's what makes it, unlike this world. God moved in a heart of kindness towards you by sending His Son to bring us back into a right relationship with Himself in our most undeserving moment. Are there areas in which you need to confess to God where you have shown worldly and/or reciprocal kindness? How is God asking you to walk in a new pattern in those spaces and relationships?
We are called to be kind and tenderhearted to all people. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 says, “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” We exhibit kind hearts to those outside the household of faith and those inside the faith. We will find moments where it is difficult to show kindness in both those spheres of relationships because relationships are messy as a result of our fallen and sinful nature. Most importantly, we can’t white-knuckle this and say that we will try harder to be kind. This is a fruit that only the Holy Spirit can produce in our hearts and can only be done in dependence on the Spirit. One way we can practically do this is to engage our hearts in prayer. Identify the places, spaces, and relationships that you need to act towards with a heart of kindness. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give you understanding and power to walk in step with Him to show kindness. What a joy that we get to reflect on the kindness Christ has shown us in good and difficult relationships.
