Love is Kind 1st Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind.
Love (Agape) is Kind
This blog is a continuation of the series we are doing on Love which is a particularly important attribute a genuine Christian should have and especially when dealing with fellow believers in Christ Jesus. In the introductory of the previous post, we saw that Love is not just one attribute but a collection of other attributes when put together will show that we are walking in Love towards other believers. One of Love’s attribute that we are studying today is kindness. In showing Kindness to a fellow believer, we are working in love and show that we are children of our father who is the author of Kindness. We are examining kindness and how to cultivate an attitude of kindness.
We walk in kindness when we sincerely delight in relieving the distress of others, seek the welfare of others and provide for their needs depending on the situation. On the other hand, kindness might also mean saying No to a request that you know is counterproductive to the person asking- Psalm 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—its oil for my head.However, a kind word, a smile, extension of a helping hand etc. are acts that convey kindness and eventually showing that you love a fellow believer in Christ. But you cannot do it if your heart is filled with bitterness and unforgiveness towards the person.
The apostle Paul encouraged us in Ephesians 4:31-32, to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each another, just as in Christ God forgave you.â€
Paul encouraged us to get rid of all that we are holding against each other so that we can be kind and compassionate to one another. This is because if you are bitter, unforgiving, slander and keep malice with each other, you cannot show Kindness to the person and you will not be walking in love towards the individual. Paul encouraged us to forgive others just as the Lord Jesus has forgiven us. As a Christian, I know that fellow believers can hurt us in a personal and deep way, but God is able to heal our hearts and give us the ability to forgive those that have hurt us. When we ask Him and sincerely surrender our hearts to him, His grace through the Holy Spirit will help us to forgive and walk in love. Also remember that you can hurt another person too and expects that person to forgive you otherwise the person will be bitter against you also. Bitterness and unforgiveness hursts those holding onto them and will cause them to continue to seek the hurt of the offenders and rejoice in his/her failure. The offender continues to unleash cruelty on others also and the cycle of bitterness continues until broken by the kind act of one person. Please be the one that breaks the cycle of bitterness so that God’s children will influence people to the glory of His Holy Name. You see why God wants us to forgive others because forgiveness breaks that cycle of bitterness and does not allow it to continue otherwise its continuation produces a hateful Christian community. Because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we have the capacity and capability to forgive and move on from the hurt because the Holy Spirit will help us do it. God has placed the burden of forgiveness on his children and not on the other person and has given us example in the Lord Jesus who forgives all our sin therefore, let us obey God instead of obeying ourselves.
God wants us to pray for our enemies and do good to them that hate you and in so doing you will be called children of God. Mathew 5:43-45. When we pray for our enemies, it will help our heart to be stayed on God our father who will give us the ability to forgive them and heal us. Moreover, God might open your eyes to see that the person is hurting you because he is filled with hurt, rejection and unhappiness though not an excuse but God has called us to forgiveness and when you do, you can act kindly to the person.
We can see that Kindness taught in the scriptures is not a random act done occasionally, but a lifestyle committed to obeying the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not just having kind thoughts about someone, but it involves kind thoughts and actions built into our daily lives and acted upon as the occasion demands. But remember that action and words proceed from your thoughts so maybe changing your thought pattern to include thoughts of how you can be kind to others around you and believers in the church and fellowship is very essential. It is not done to get something in return for something or to show that you are a good Christian and get accolades from people. Rather it is done to please our father in heaven who is the one that knows how to reward us.The greatest reward comes from God who sees our effort and can do abundantly above and beyond what you have imagined as a reward. Ephesians 3:20-21. He blesses you from all the resources in His power and from knowing the exact nature of your situation. So, trust Him and obey Him because He is faithful and does not fail those who trust in Him.
Learning to be kind comes by practicing kindness in words and actions and with time it becomes a way of life and becomes our default mode because what you default to when something occurs unexpectedly is really whom you are. However, kind acts can be done randomly and can also be planned but in doing so let all be done to the glory of God. We must ensure that we are not ensnared by the busyness of life that we cannot even detect a person in need or someone hurting and be kind to the individual. Sometimes we add to the hurt because that is what the society demands from us, but we must respond to the demands of God our father and not the society. In our hustle and bustle, we ignore the problems of others and are concerned only with our own pursuits and might even step on peoples toes while doing that. But the lord Jesus is calling us to slow down and be kind to others in words and actions as we go through life. The Lord Jesus during His life on earth was a remarkably busy man but he did not allow it to prevent Him from touching the lives of those who needed His kindness.
He stopped to resurrect the dead son of the widow of Nain. Luke 7:11-17.
He had truly kind words for the woman with the issue of blood who touched Him and was afraid when she was found out. He called her “daughter†and told her to be of good comfort that her faith has made her whole and that changed her life permanently. Luke 8:43-48.
He was kind to the woman caught in adultery while other people wanted to stone her. John 8: 1-11.
The Samaritan woman was transformed because of the kind interaction of the Lord Jesus with her. John 4:3-42.
When he taught the multitudes in the dessert he looked out for their own needs and knew that they will be hungry. He provided food for them instead of sending them out to look for food which the disciples suggested. John 6:1-15.
He prayed to God our father to forgive those who crucified Him because they do not know what they were doing. Luke 23:34. His earthly life was marked with kindness and love. The Lord Jesus is our example of how to show kindness. We saw how he treated his apostles and disciples with patience in our post last week on Love is Patience. In Love is Kind, the Lord Jesus is our example because as Christians we must model our lives after Him who is the author and finisher of our faith. He died for us when we did not deserve it therefore let us show kindness to those who are underserving of our kindness.
Refuse to be unkind to one another. Most of us are vicious to other believers especially when we have differences of opinion. We attack and seek to destroy others because we differ on doctrinal, political, or socio-cultural issues that are non-essentials of the Christian faith. When you attack a fellow believer in a very unkind way with the intention to hurt someone whom the Lord Jesus died for, you are wicked, cruel and an instrument of the devil. You might have the best and right doctrine but if you are not walking in Love, per Paul in 1st Corinthians 13 your knowledge is absolutely useless. Knowledge puffeth up but Love edifies. Choose Love instead and kindness is love in action. You are supposed to clothe yourself with kindness. Colossians 3:12 and correct people who are being unkind to someone else. Philippians 2:3–4: encouraged us to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.†When we live this way, we will be shown to be truly working in the commands of our lord Jesus Christ and God is working through us to reveal his love and blessing to fellow believers in Christ thereby fulfilling God’s command in Galatians 6:2 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.
God is love and kind and through His kindness He delivered our Lord Jesus Christ His Only Begotten Son to die on the cross of Calvary on our behalf and hopes that this expression of Kindness will bring us to repentance. Romans 2:4.4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Let us repent from our unkind ways and live to glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And for anyone who is not a believer in Christ the Lord is calling you today while there is time to repent and give your life to the Lord Jesus.
Prayer:
We pray that God our father will give us the grace to develop the virtue of kindness in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus. Amen
