THE FRUIT OF SPIRIT: KINDNESS

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: KINDNESS

Gal. 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…..NLT

What is kindness? Wayne Caldwell put it this way, ‘Kindness is a sincere desire to help another person bear his burden.” It is extending a helping hand to someone in need. It is treating others with goodness. It is being respectful to others and giving them value.

Kindness is going the extra mile to help someone in need. Matt. 5:38-42; 25:3–40 Instead of ignoring or avoiding someone in need, we are to respond in a positive way to help them as we are able. It is extending grace towards those who are going through difficult times. It is not demanding more out of others than what they can deliver.

Kindness is the love of God in action on our behalf. Isaiah 53:4-5 It is God offering to us help with our sin problem. It is God valuing our lives. It is God not leaving us alone to fend for ourselves. It is God at work within us to make us fit for heaven.

Kindness is the wings upon which faith impacts the world. It is wrapping the Gospel up in love as we share it with others. It is not beating someone over the head with it and judging them guilty of sin. It is drawing others to Christ by how we treat them with love and dignity. Without kindness, the Gospel message comes across as harsh, cruel, and judgmental. Without kindness, people naturally reject it.

Kindness is the natural lifestyle of those who live in close fellowship with God. It is loving others as much as we do ourselves. It is spreading sunshine into someone’s life. It is making others feel better about themselves, even if it’s just for a moment or two. It is smiling. It is being a vessel of God’s love in a world full of hate, anger, and lostness. It is treating others like you want them to treat you.