LOVE IS KIND

(I Corinthians 13:4)

Without love you can never be kind, and if you are not kind then you do not have love.

Question One: From where can we get kindness?

Galations 5:22, Kindness is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The world also has kindness but this doesn’t mean it is good in front of God. True kindness comes from God.

Like all the fruit if the Spirit we make it grow up which means to practise, to take care of it and to put it into action. From this people will discover you are kind and they will let you know. People will testify and then God also. It’s not up to you to say, “I know I’m kind”.

Question Two: According to human beings what is kindness?

The dictionary says, “caring about others, gentle, friendly”. When you do something or give something, people will find you are kind, especially if they gain from that. But if you tell someone, “this is your mistake”, the world will think you are tough or rude, but to God, this can be a kind action.

The greek word used to describe what Jesus did when He overthrew the tables in the temple is the same word used to describe kindness. God is also kind to us, that is why He tells us, ‘Stop that, don’t sin anymore’, He is so kind.

Question Three: Is there any difference between kindness and goodness?

According to human beings there is no difference. But to God you can be good but not kind. E.g. some people are really good, they can help people, they can pray five times per day, they can be generous, clean and have many good actions but in front of God they may not be kind because they don’t care about their soul or the souls of others.

Kindness cares, goodness does not care.

Someone can be good when his or her friend is crossing a hard situation, but kindness is there at every situation and for every person. Goodness is just for people you know or people you know or people who are suffering. Kindness doesn’t choose whom you can show it to, you are kind to every person at every time. Some people are grumpy in the morning but for someone who is kind, even if the phone rings at 3am, they will answer kindly. This is because kindness also gives tolerance and walks together with patience.

Kindness is not to pretend to be someone so people will appreciate you; the intention here is just to get praise but God knows that and will not count it as kindness.

Kindness is a feeling that comes from inside, it makes a Christian do the right thing at the right time. It is a pressure that pushes someone to be involved in a situation, to find a solution for the glory of God. This is not only for material things; giving etc, but something that will help this person morally, spiritually, emotionally and mentally.

To be kind you first must be kind to yourself then to others and then to God. First of all, how do you treat your soul, body and well-being? Am I really kind to myself? When I sin, I make my soul suffer, when I lie am I being kind to myself?

Question Four: What are some examples of people who were kind in the Bible?

Pharaoh’s Daughter to Moses
Her level or position in society was higher than Moses, they were from different races, different countries, different religions but she didn’t care about that.

Pharaoh’s daughter first knew how to take care of her body (she was kind first to herself) as seen in Exodus 2:5 where she goes to the river to bathe. When she saw a baby, something touched her heart and she started to think, ‘if I were this baby, what could happen?’ She put herself in the baby’s shoes. After thinking, she could not leave the baby there. Moses didn’t talk, or ask for help, but she knew there was a need.

She took Moses and he lived in the palace with her. She asked people around to feed him. Kindness also leads you to ask others, ‘what do you think? What can we do together to find a solution?’ By asking, Miriam went to find her mother. That lady accepted a slave to come and live in her family and Moses was given power and respect as a descendent of Pharaoh.

Kindness brings someone from outside your house and brings them in, you share yourself and you pray as though it were yourself.

She didn’t do this act to show to others, but it came from her heart and it was God who put it in her. Kindness comes from the Holy Spirit, a divine action; it’s first a desire and then an action. And if she had not shown kindness to this baby, he could never have grown up to be Moses, so let’s remember that when we have a desire to be kind because we never know what God is planning to do through that.

David and Mephibosheth (IISamuel:1-13)
First God put something in David. He loved Johnathon and Johnathon loved him, they were good friends. Mephibosheth was not David’s friend but David had promised Johnathon that he would take care of his descendents and he fulfilled that promise. In the same way, if my good friend, Ang and I today are separated and in a few years I hear that Ang was killed. Because of the love I have for Ang, I will want to find if she has children and if she does I will want to take care of her children especially if I hear one is crippled.

David was really kind to him even though he had no legs, no father, no education; David wanted to take care of him and to please God. David also gave back to Mephibosheth everything that had been taken from him; kindness also applies justice.

David sent people to search for Mephibosheth and he invited him in. Kindness also looks for those they can help and invites help rather than waiting for people to ask.

David said, ‘you have to eat with me’. Not once but every time. With kindness you have to feed others physically if you can but most importantly spiritually with the Word of God. Kindness involves people into your family, your physical family and more importantly the family of God.

Mephibosheth couldn’t work, he had a weakness, but David didn’t care, he considered him as a human being. Sometimes we are with people who have some weaknesses but we have to put ourselves in their shoes and although they have some weaknesses, respect them and know they are people of God and have the right to live.