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Kindness
Ray Guy
July 21, 2013
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Kindness
Kindness seems like such a domesticated, benign, gentle, and pleasant word. So much so, that I don't think I have ever stopped to give it any dedicated thought until now, having stumbled upon it as the next word of nine that Paul chooses to describe the "new creation" that we are supposed to embody as Christians.
If we categorize people into two types, the kind and unkind, which camp would you fall into? If you met two people, one was kind and the other unkind, which would you want as a friend? If you were going to introduce a student that is in desperate need of friends and the gospel, which students would you have confidence introducing her to? Would "kindness" be such an unimportant, overlooked (maybe even optional) priority then?
Can you remember a time when unkindness was experienced by someone from Christians?
It should never be.
Christians should be clothed with it (Col 3:12) and it serves as evidence that we are legitimate servants of God (2 Cor. 6:3-6). Further, because of what God has done for us, we should be the ones that incessantly become kinder and kinder with every passing year, dying as absolute masters of it. If we don't, then even our knowledge of Jesus Christ, no matter how extensive, is unproductive and ineffective (2 Pet 1:5-9).
The root of the Greek word for kindness means "useful" (as opposed to useless or harmful). God wants kindness as a major identifier of His people. Can you guess why?