Kindness: A Mark of True Strength
1 Corinthians 13:4a
Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
Call me a softy if you wish, but I’d like to be known as a man with a Christ-like, kind, gentle spirit. Men who are gentle and kind are often wrongfully categorized as weak by this world’s standards. However, what the world may call weak is actually categorized by scripture as a great strength. Kindness in this world is a rare thing to find, sadly even among Christians. However, if we are true followers of Christ, and if we are truly filled with the Spirit, then kindness should be exhibited in our daily lives as the rule, and not the exception.
Question: have you ever allowed yourself to be unkind to someone else, excusing your behavior due to your opinion that they deserved the unkindness you sent their way? If so, join the club! If we were all to be honest with ourselves, there are times in each of our lives that we could be a little more sparing with kindness. Why do we do it? I mean, when you think about it, each of us deserve a whole lot more punishment for our sins than we have ever received because of God’s grace. God has always been kind to us, not rewarding us according to our own iniquities.
If God so loved us, so ought we also to love one another! It ought to be our prayer today that God would fill us with His kindness, so that we could share His love with someone who desperately needs an intervention of Grace in their life right now! It could be just one word or act of kindness that turns their whole life around. It is amazing at just how far your charity will go when you decide to let God love others through you.
Sometimes I think we forget that others need just as much kindness as what we would desire to receive. The problem is, some of us were never really shown much kindness in the past, and so we’ve never learned how to show others the kind of kindness we personally never received. It doesn’t have to be that way! Regardless of your past, receive healing for yourself by ministering Grace through kindness to another. Just because you suffered, doesn’t mean you must ensure that others around you suffer as well. Go to Jesus with your pain, receive His kindness, and let the love of God begin to flow through you like never before. Your bitterness can be completely gone, and a new life can begin simply through God’s love!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
Call me a softy if you wish, but I’d like to be known as a man with a Christ-like, kind, gentle spirit. Men who are gentle and kind are often wrongfully categorized as weak by this world’s standards. However, what the world may call weak is actually categorized by scripture as a great strength. Kindness in this world is a rare thing to find, sadly even among Christians. However, if we are true followers of Christ, and if we are truly filled with the Spirit, then kindness should be exhibited in our daily lives as the rule, and not the exception.
Question: have you ever allowed yourself to be unkind to someone else, excusing your behavior due to your opinion that they deserved the unkindness you sent their way? If so, join the club! If we were all to be honest with ourselves, there are times in each of our lives that we could be a little more sparing with kindness. Why do we do it? I mean, when you think about it, each of us deserve a whole lot more punishment for our sins than we have ever received because of God’s grace. God has always been kind to us, not rewarding us according to our own iniquities.
If God so loved us, so ought we also to love one another! It ought to be our prayer today that God would fill us with His kindness, so that we could share His love with someone who desperately needs an intervention of Grace in their life right now! It could be just one word or act of kindness that turns their whole life around. It is amazing at just how far your charity will go when you decide to let God love others through you.
Sometimes I think we forget that others need just as much kindness as what we would desire to receive. The problem is, some of us were never really shown much kindness in the past, and so we’ve never learned how to show others the kind of kindness we personally never received. It doesn’t have to be that way! Regardless of your past, receive healing for yourself by ministering Grace through kindness to another. Just because you suffered, doesn’t mean you must ensure that others around you suffer as well. Go to Jesus with your pain, receive His kindness, and let the love of God begin to flow through you like never before. Your bitterness can be completely gone, and a new life can begin simply through God’s love!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill