S4P5 – The fruit of kindness
Gal 5: 22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
There are two scriptures in which kindness and grace go hand in hand [Tit. 3:4; Eph. 2:7]. In both instances, it is a reference to God’s plan for our salvation. In Titus, our redemption comes after the appearance of God’s kindness, among other things. In Ephesians, we see that our eternal reward is the result of God’s grace in His kindness. These indicate that kindness comes with a component of grace. Kindness is not merely so subtle as holding open a door for someone or helping to bear a physical load. Kindness can be so profound as to move God to save and keep his children eternally.
At a base level, grace is the extension of something not earned. For us, our salvation and redemption were earned by Christ, but we are their recipients. Kindness operates in much the same manner. When it is shown, kindness treats all others well irrespective of whether kindness has been shown in return. It is given without regard for being received. It is the substance of the golden rule, that we treat others as we wish to be treated not necessarily as they treat us. It is neither that we treat others as we hope or expect to be treated. We extend kindness simply to bless others freely.
Kindness can manifest in extending grace to the ungracious, a gentle word to the gruff, or love to the bitter and hateful. It is the attitude that we hope governs our behavior toward others, but as with the other spiritual fruit, we cannot muster up true kindness of our own effort. It is only because we first received this from the Lord that we are then able to pass it along to others. When we think of kindness operating in us, let us think of the grace that restores us. Father, impart to us a portion of the kindness that caused You to make the way for our restoration so that we may share it with others.