The Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness
Of all the fruit of the Spirit, kindness is perhaps the most familiar. This virtue is healing, compassionate, and merciful to others. Kindness is usually associated with mercy. It is not possible to be kind without being merciful. And to be merciful is to be kind. It implies a deep concern for others. Paul admonishes us to kindness in Eph. 4:32: “Be kind and compassionate to one another.”
Spirit-prompted kindness is the disposition to overlook and forgive personal injuries. Instead of vindicating ourselves or sticking up for our own rights, we are told “So embrace, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a spirit of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering” (Col. 3:12, MEV). In doing so, we are following Jesus, who asked us to “learn from Me” (Matt. 11:29, MEV).
The truly kind people forget their own personal preferences in order to offer help to another person. The truly kind person tries to make the world a better and brighter place for those with pain.
The fruit of the Spirit refers to a kindness beyond man’s greatest capacity on his own.
PR

Image: Lotte Lohr
Category: Spirit, Winter 2018