Fruit of the Spirit - Kindness

Galatians 5: 22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

2 Timothy 2:24
And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Ephesians 2:7 (New International Version)
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.


Kindness is higher and more noble than most of us think. Kindness reflects the benevolence of God. Whatever kindness is in a Christ Follower, it is a reflection of the kindness of God. Kindness is an act of grace, favor and mercy to an undeserving person. It is a benevolent activity to someone who isn't necessarily deserving.

Kindness is best portrayed by God's act of sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us on the cross. This is the single biggest act of kindness in history. It was a benevolent gracious gift to a people who did not deserve it. Jesus was sent to die for sinners who proved over and over again they could not remain true to God. This act of kindness is the kind of act that takes your breath away...it is AWE inspired.

Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

So, let's first look at what kindness is NOT, because kindness is much more dramatic than helping someone with a task, which is not a bad thing, but Godly kindness is much, much more than just being nice.

1. Godly kindness is not random.
2. It is not simply being nice. It doesn't settle for acts that require no personal investment from us.
3. It is not superficial.

OK, then what exactly IS kindness as it relates to a fruit of the Spirit.

1. Kindness is deliberate and strategic. God knew exactly what he was doing when he sent Jesus to die for our sins. He made a deliberate decision to perform an act we didn't deserve.

2. Kindness is results oriented. It results in a change of circumstances.

3. Kindness is profound. It is not superficial, but so profound that the person on the receiving end of the kindness is NEVER the same again. It takes their breath away and they are able to see the blessing of God.

Consider the story of David and Mephibosheth. David had experienced great suffering at the hand of Saul, but what was his reaction? It was not vengeance but a profound act of kindness...Godly kindness.

2 Samuel 9
David and Mephibosheth
1 David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"
2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?"
"Your servant," he replied.

3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"
Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."

4 "Where is he?" the king asked.
Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."

5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, "Mephibosheth!"
"Your servant," he replied.

7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."

8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

Godly kindness is much more than anything we could imagine or grasp on our own. Without the great kindness given to us by God through Jesus Christ his son, we would be incapable of such acts of kindness. However, we are now called to this Godly kindness through the Holy Spirit.

Kindness is an expression of love. It is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for us. We understand kindness first through God's expression of love toward us and we in turn return that kindness to others because of our deep love for Christ Jesus.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind.

Kindness is linked with forgiveness. God's ultimate kindness forgave us ALL our sins. One of the greatest gifts of kindness we can give is to forgive. Release others from the debt we feel they owe us, from any wrong they have committed.

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Finally, kindness doesn't discriminate. Jesus died for ALL of our sins and for ALL sinners. We can't withhold kindness from those we don't feel are deserving or those who we do not feel will appreciates our acts. We are called to manifest God's kindness and let God work out the results. We can't consider skin color, social status, religious beliefs, etc when deciding who deserves an act of kindness. We are called to be kind to everyone.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

Today I urge you to ask yourself and pray to God for answers to the following...

1. To whom do I most need to show kindness toward today?
2. What results do I want to produce for them? What need can I meet in them?
3. How might your kindness forever change their life?

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the kindness that You have shown us in Christ, that draws us to You Lord. I pray that we manifest this fruit in our hearts and our actions and we act deliberately and strategically and results oriented and that we can have an impact in peoples lives, a profound impact. Make us a kind people Lord. Allow us to continue to grow in the fruit of Your Spirit as we become more aware of just what they mean in our lives. I pray everyone will share these fruits with others who have not yet come to You Lord, for we are ultimately all disciples of Christ. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.