LOVE IS KIND
Introduction: Does this world need kindness? In 1982 Berkeley writer and activist Anne
Herbert coined a simple phrase: Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK). The idea took
root, then took off. We all agree that the world needs kindness more than ever,
but we wait for someone else to be kind towards us instead; how about we become
the trendsetters of kindness? The broken and hurting often reach out and be
kind to others. One of them was Princes Diane.
Despite her depression, struggle
with bulimia, hurting marriage which ended up in divorce, she personified kindness
worldwide. She got involved in many acts of kindness. Here is her endorsement
of the Random Acts of Kindness organization. "Perhaps we are too
embarrassed to change or too frightened of the consequences of showing that we
actually care.
But why not risk it anyway? Begin
Today. Carry out a random act of seemingly senseless kindness, with no
expectation of reward or punishment, safe in the knowledge that one day,
someone somewhere might do the same for you."[1] It was our first vacation in
the USA.
A few years ago, we were heading
towards Berkshires in a car as a family. On the highway, the front passenger
side of our car tire blew out. I did not know how to change a tire. I called
the triple "A" for help. Out of nowhere, a stranger pulled off to the
side and helped us change the tire. I offered to pay him, but he refused to
take it. We thanked him and moved on.
That was a random act of kindness. On
the way, one of our daughters asked me; Papa, are there angles? I said, you
just saw one! In our study on an Excellent way of living last week, you
patiently endured my sermon on one aspect of love: Patience. Today we will look
into the other element; Love is Kind. After addressing various concerns,
struggles, and challenges of the Corinthian believers, the apostle Paul showed
them how to live a life filled with love.
In Chapter thirteen first three
verses, he argued about the supremacy of love over mere human knowledge and
other accomplishments of giving and sacrifices. Then he defined what true
Biblical love is. Love is Patient, and Love is Kind. Let us look at What and
why kindness is? The purpose and the power of kindness and how we might become
kind people.
I. What is Kindness?
The
dictionary definition of kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous,
and considerate. Kindness is a behavior marked by acts of generosity,
consideration, or concern for others without expecting praise or reward.[2] It means caring, being
selfless, and compassionate.
It is one of the essential words in
the O.T. The Hebrew word, chesed which occurs more than 190 times in the
Torah, means more than simply "kindness." Often translated as "lovingkindness."
It means giving oneself entirely, with love and compassion. Other definitions
used in the Bible for Kindness are love, benevolence, goodwill, benefit, mercy,
etc.
Biblical kindness is an attitude of
love that contains acts of mercy. In King James Version, we see the word "lovingkindness,"
which captures the word's whole meaning. Lovingkindness is often attributed to
God and his acts of kindness. Consider these scriptures:
In Genesis 19, the angels of the
Lord rescued Lot before they destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. To
this overwhelming act of kindness, this was how Lot responded, Gen 19-19,
"Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified
your compassion, which you have shown me by saving my life."
Young David was anointed to be the
future King of Israel. Yet he ran from Saul, who was after his life. He lived
in the wilderness for thirteen years. Amid the stress and harsh living in the
wilderness, he learned to trust God. He realized God's love and kindness are
better than life.
Out of desperation, David sang this
Psalm of Praise. Psalm 63:3-4, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than
life, My lips shall praise You. Thus, I will bless You while I live; I will
lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips." When you go through
troubles, sing this song. The apostle Paul taught the Corinthian believers a
better way of life, a life full of love and kindness.
II. Why is Kindness essential in the life of a Christian?
Several scriptures in the Bible talk about God's
love and kindness towards his people. Psalm 136 talks about God's
lovingkindness endures forever. Whatever God does is always motivated out of
love. God has been not only kind to His people but also to the wicked.
Luke 6:35, "But love your
enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will
be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the
unthankful and evil." Kindness matters to God; therefore, it should matter
to us.
Kindness is essential in the life of
a believer because we are commanded to be kind. Ephesians 4:32, "Instead, be
kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just
as God through Christ has forgiven you." Eph 5:1-2, "Imitate
God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear
children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example
of Christ."
Proverbs 11:17, "Your kindness
will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you." Indeed, kindness
makes others happy, but it also lifts your spirits. Just think of the last time
you've done a random act of kindness. God has shown us how to be happy and
healthy in life. It is scientifically proven that kindness has a lot of
physical and emotional benefits. Play the video.
III. How can Christians be kind?
We are called to be kind both in
words and deeds. Apostle Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians that God's
divine power had given them everything they needed to live a godly life.
Then he encouraged them to make
every effort and supply seven things to their faith, and one of them was
"brotherly affection/kindness," and top it with love. II Pet 1:5-8.
What is brotherly kindness? The Greek word Philadelphia comes
from two words, Philos (friend) adolphos (brother).
In NIV, it is translated as "mutual affection."
Brotherly or sisterly kindness is
the love expressed between the family members of God, the Church. In other
words, let's be kind to one another; that's what Christians do. How is
brotherly kindness manifested? It is manifested through our words and actions.
Kind words spoken are like honey
dripping from a honeycomb to the listeners. Proverbs 16:24, "Kind words are like honey-sweet to the soul and
healthy for the body." Remember, we have power in our tongues. With that,
we can either hurt and crush people's spirits by our harsh words or bring
healing to their bodies and refresh their souls with our kind words. Watch out!
How are we using our tongues? Constructively or destructively?
We should not limit our kindness to mere
words. Remember, kindness is love in action. Therefore, it has to be reflected
more in actions than in words. Dear children, let's not merely say that we love
each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we
belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God." I
John 3:18-19
We are familiar with this phrase, "Actions
speak louder than words." This means a person's actions are more impactful
than their mere words. Therefore, let's get past talking about being loving and
kind and start making efforts to do the acts of love and kindness.
IV. Growing in Kindness.
None of us were born with kindness.
It is an acquired thing as we grow. It is something to be taught, learned, and
cultivated. It doesn't come easily; we have to be intentional at becoming kind.
We are to make every effort to be kind. As Paul said, we are to "Put on
kindness."
Growing in kindness begins by
recognizing how God has been kind to us despite our sinfulness. That should
give us a reason to be kind to others. Where do we start? Kindness must begin with being kind to ourselves. For some, it
is hard to see any good in themselves, and they always think they do not
measure up to the standards of God and others.
Speak the gospel to yourself,
saying, I am beloved of God, I am forgiven, I am healed, and I am okay. Being
kind to yourself is essential. You cannot give from what you do not have. The
next place to practice kindness is at home, in your marriage, and with your
children. Husbands, how do you
treat your wives? Are you gentle and kind towards them or harsh? Do you speak
words of tenderness and love or use cutting words to hurt them? Do you help out
with household chores? It could be said of the wives too. Kindness must begin
at home first. We learned about Joseph
in our EHS class this past Wednesday. Joseph, just because he shared his dreams,
his brothers were jealous and couldn't speak a kind word to him. (Gen 37:4). In
the end, they sold him as a slave to the Egyptians. While in Egypt, he was
misunderstood, wrongly accused, imprisoned, and forgotten by everyone for two
years, but not by God.
God was always with him, working in
him to bring him to a place where he would be a blessing to many. As the story
goes, when his brothers stood before Joseph, let's see how he responded to
them. Genesis 50:19-21, "But Joseph replied, "Don't be afraid of me.
Am I God that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it
all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many
people. No, don't be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your
children." So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them."
What made Joseph a loving and kind
person? He experienced love and kindness from God first; out of his Emotional
and Spiritual wholeness, he could forgive and be kind towards his brother
despite the harm they did to him. Let's go out and be loving and kind like
Joseph. Amen!
