My Heavenly Father is not only just, but kind.
He is El Shaddai, meaning “God Almighty”, who possesses the power to adequately nourish, supply and satisfy. He is the ultimate nurturing Parent.
He is a Father who sees and cares. He saw Hagar in the desert as she abandoned her dying son under a tree. He provided a way out.
“God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water…God was with the boy as he grew up.” (Genesis 21:17,18, 20a)
The Greek word for kindness is chrestotes, which means “tender concern for others. It is the genuine desire of a believer to treat others gently, just as the Lord treats him. It is the grace which pervades the whole nature, mellowing all which would be harsh and austere.” (The MacArthur NT Commentary Galatians).
Every week of the “Abiding Fruit Bible Study” I found myself specifically needing the fruit of the Spirit we are studying. This past week was no exception.
Last Thursday my 2-year-old was sick. Fever and weakness removed his independent spirit and he melted into my arms. He longed for my comfort. In his pathetic state it was natural for me to be tender & nurturing.
While I was preoccupied with my sick son, my 4-year-old son was desperate for attention. He acted out at every chance he had; disobedience, aggression towards his brothers, destroying everything in his path. It was difficult for me to want to show him grace. My innate reaction was harshness & frustration.
As parents we love our children. God made us, in His image, to nurture and care for them. However, we also know that there are times it is difficult to show them kindness.
I realized through reading Titus 3:3-8 that God demonstrated His kindness towards us not while we were easy to nurture, but in our sinful state (“foolish, disobedient, deceived…in malice and envy”).
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Titus 3:4-5a
We had done nothing to endear us to Him. We deserved wrath and harshness but were granted tenderness. Undeserved kindness.
God went beyond just comforting us in our sin. He sacrificed His own Son to save us from our sin. Then he poured His kindness generously. He gave us full access to Him through the Holy Spirit, made us His own sons and daughters and gave us the hope of eternal life with Him!
This generous kindness is available to us through His Spirit. By abiding in the Spirit we can have the disposition of kindness.
It doesn’t stop there. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…all proceed goodness. All the fruit that we have learned to this point are necessary for us to do good works for His glory.
We will see this week that goodness is kindness in action.
“Without kindness, goodness becomes harsh and self-righteous. Without goodness, kindness becomes indulgent tolerance. Only the Holy Spirit can provide balance…” -Beth Moore
May you be nurtured and loved by your Heavenly, Almighty, Father. May you abide in His Spirit to take on the disposition of kindness, to those who are deserving and undeserving. This week may you learn how the Spirit allows your kindness to take action in your goodness.
This is great, Heather. Your feelings toward your sons is a great example. It’s easier to show kindness when someone is needy than when someone is proud (I’m not saying your 4-yr-old is proud! ha).
Yet God shows kindness to us even at our worst. And he promises to grow that fruit in us too. That in itself is an act of kindness!
He started kindness. He lets his Spirit overflow onto us. We then have a well from which to draw to be kind to others.
My to-do from this Titus study:
Be more intentional about planning and carrying out helpful acts of service to others.
Thanks Lisa for your encouragement! Don’t you love too that kindness is not just what we do or how we act but our disposition? That it is God’s innate character to have an attitude of kindness. love that.
Thanks for your words. Love this study, and hoping to be able to put into action all of the fruits.
Thank you again..I look forward to Mondays..the posts are always just what I need. Our MYM group picked up early in the week the importance of doing good and showing kindness… around midweek it occurred to me that I needed to really take these instructions to heart and take action. It spoke to me that we need to be showing kindness to everyone including our enemies. Jesus words in Luke 6 about loving our enemies kept coming back. We are told we need to love even those who hurt us. We need to show the love of Christ to all. I need to forgive in order to be forgiven Matt 6:14-15. I have to show love kindness and goodness to ALL.
Thanks Amy! So good to hear that you are engaging with your MYM group and the study. It was interesting to me when I looked deeper into kindness that it was more about the heart attitude than it was the action. How often I have an “unkind” attitude towards those I deem “undeserving”. Demonstrating kindness and goodness to all is where I need His Spirit!
Yes…it is my attitude I need to change. I am not the judge
I am told to just love. Sounds so easy and yet I struggle…I will with His help learn to love ALL.
That undeserved nature of grace (and outpouring of God’s loving kindness) never ceases to surprise and amaze me. And it’s that kindness and love to inspires us to leave the old ways behind (verse 3) to devote ourselves to what is good (verse 8). So thankful He doesn’t give what we deserve, but instead *always* provides what we need, whether we realize it at the time or not.
love that…”doesn’t give us what we deserve but always provides what we need”. Thanks Caroline!
“We had done nothing to endear us to Him. We deserved wrath and harshness but were granted tenderness. Undeserved kindness.”
What an amazing truth!
Great post, Heather!
thanks for the opportunity Katie!!
Oh my. “God demonstrated His kindness towards us not while we were easy to nurture, but in our sinful state.” That’s for sure, as I reflect on my sinful heart. And boy do I need to keep that in mind when dealing with my children. It is definitely not always natural to want to show kindness to them. Thank you for the reminder to reflect my Heavenly Father’s kindness in my parenting.
You’re welcome & thank you for sharing how you identify with that struggle!
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I have definitely been practicing more kindness. I have a 3 year old and a baby and I find myself getting so frustrated with little things, but ever since I determined to be positive and show love instead of anger, I can see a difference in my house. My words are much more soothing even when I feel uptight. God is helping me to be kind.