But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22 (NIV)
We are in the fourth text of the series “Learning about the Fruit of the Spirit”, in which we will delve into what is written in the Bible about the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God, mentioned in the book of Galatians and today we will learn more about kindness. I would like to begin by leaving as a reminder the passage in Colossians 3:12: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”.
Kindness
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10 (NIV)
Do you know what kindness means? Well, it is the quality of those who are benign, that is, endowed with good characteristics, such as generosity and benevolence. To act kindly is to be merciful to others, behaving based on loyalty and fidelity. Being a fruit of the Holy Spirit, as well as love, joy, peace and long-suffering, the quality of being kind is produced by the Holy Spirit in us, when we are guided by him.
In Micah 6:8, it is written: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”, So we can say that goodness is one of the qualities that the Lord requires of His people.
We, children of God, must obey His will revealed in His Word, practicing acts of mercy and showing compassion for one another. One of the greatest examples we have is our own master Jesus Christ, who during his time on earth showed such kindness to sinners, even at the time of His crucifixion, when he asked the Father to forgive those who harmed him, as reported in Luke 23:34.
Where there is kindness, there is no place for evil, hatred or bitterness, because actions are guided by love. I believe that when we understand that our God is filled with this quality, we learn to be kind to other people too. Just as the Lord loves and helps us without deserving it, we must also love and help others.
Our greatest reason for seeking to be filled with kindness, is to rejoice our God, for everything we do should not be for our own boasting, but rather to honor the Lord. Finally, I leave the passage from Proverbs 12: 2: “Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.”
God bless you!
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