Kindness

Today we will look at “kindness”, but before we do I have a confession to make or maybe it is just good insight. Sunday evening as I was going to bed I realized two things about how I felt: I was beginning to feel anxious and the sense of love seemed to be diminishing. As the Lord and I had conversation about this I realized that my focus had shifted away from God, and thus his love, to all the things I “felt” I had to do before leaving for China in a few days. I found myself in need of exercising Philippians 4:6 – 7 to resolve my anxiety and shift my focus back to God. I felt like Peter, who, when he took his eyes off from the Lord and saw the storm, he began to sink and he called out for help. When we focus on our circumstances, pain and fear returns and love seems to slip away. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9, NASB). God has given us the responsibility of abiding in his love and when we do then we will be able to enjoy the characteristics of his love. I needed this reminder at this point in the writing of these blog entries.

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The WordNet Dictionary defines kindness as “the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic” and could be described by such words as generous, considerate, thoughtful, sympatric, kindhearted, and forgiving. The Greek meaning expresses “moral goodness, integrity”. Paul tells those who have been chosen of God to put on a heart of compassion and kindness (Colossians 3:12). This kindness is seen as a characteristic of God “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4 - 7, NASB).

Sinful mankind is an enemy of God, yet in his love he is able to show kindness toward them and open up a path of salvation for them to him. Think of their harshness toward Jesus that led to his death on the cross, but yet he was able to say on their behalf, “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34, NASB). When we abide in his love, we are able to reach out to those who are harsh toward us and show kindness that may open up a path of salvation for them to find hope in the living God.