Kindness –
Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
I am going to start a series on my blog on the Fruit of the Spirit. I am going to take one per entry. This entry is on Kindness. According to BibleGateway.com the word is used 56 times in the NIV and 43 times in the KJV. I also decided to check the Amplified Bible and it shows the word 238 times in the Bible.
Synonyms
According to Dictionary.com
- benignity
- benevolence
- humanity
- generosity
- charity
- sympathy
- compassion
- tenderness
- good turn
- One of the definitions shows a friendly feeling.
A Point in the Scout Law
Did you know one of the Points of the Boy Scout Law is A Scout is Friendly and another point of the Scout Law is A Scout is Kind. I pointed this one out in my blog on The Scout Law – A Christian Point of View. I just wanted to point that out as well. The Bible many times show we are to show kindness, a lot of these are servants to their masters and masters to their servants. You will also see prayers where prayers go I have shown you kindness, so please also show me kindness. If we show each other kindness, we are also showing love. A Christian love toward them. If we withhold kindness, we don’t fear the Lord.
Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. (Job 6:14) “but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:24) in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)
Jesus was Kind
Even the Lord, Jesus Christ showed how kind He is. We as Christians are to strive to be more Christ-like. It doesn’t matter who you are, what the conditions are like, we must be kind to everyone! The below verse shows an example of that.
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. (Acts 28:2)
Clear Warning
We do have a clear warning about if we don’t follow kindness. The below verse shows us this:
Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. (Romans 11:22)
Sincere love comes within the Holy Spirit by purity, understanding, patience and kindness according to 2 Corinthians 6:6. We are told to show kindness, so show everyone kindness, saved or unsaved.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)
Set an Example
If we don’t set an example of kindness to everyone, how will anyone truly know we are saved and following a Christ-like life. Not to mention, if we are trying to get a lost person saved, and we don’t show kindness, how will they believe us when we say Christ was kind, Christ was so kind and loved us so much he died for our sins. Plus, if we don’t show kindness to one another and say we are of Christ, how believing is that?
Yes we all do sin, but as Christians we should try to sin less, since we are not sinless. Only Jesus Christ was sinless. Repent of your sins and turn away from them. Be kind to one another. Remember random acts of kindness goes away. Do a Pay it Forward. Even the Boy Scout Slogan “Do A Good Turn Daily” we as Christians should do more than just “a” good turn daily, we should do several good turns daily. Keep showing a Christ like attitude. I also like the clipart I found from Clip art from ChristArt and the caption on the cartoon. It reads “God made all people, so be kind to everyone”
[tweetshare tweet=”God made all people, so be kind to everyone” username=”ChristianBlogR”]
Check out the complete Fruit of the Spirit Series.
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A wonderful reminder to all of us. Showing kindness to others is what being a Christian is all about. Since God has shown the same to us, it is the least we can do for others.
Yes that is so true. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
It's true that kindness is a much-overlooked Christian quality. Great post.
Thank you and you are very welcome and yes it is. Thanks for visiting my blog. God Bless. It is sad though how a lot is being overlooked today. Christians are living in a mislead world and living by the world and not the Word.