Love is Kind
Kindness and love go hand-in-hand. You can't find one without the other. Most friendships, and especially marriage relationships, begin with kindness as the attraction towards one another. Do you remember the kindness you and your spouse showed one another when you were courting?
While patience is reactive in nature, kindness is proactive in nature. "Kindness creates a blessing," writes the authors of The Love Dare. "Kindness makes you likeable." When was the last time you did something "sweet" for your spouse?
You can find kindness as an instruction for us throughout the Bible. In Ephesians 4:32, Paul writes that we are "to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Proverbs 3:3-4 instructs us "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find factor and good repute in the sight of God and man."
Kindness is lived out in being gentle with your spouse, ceasing harsh words. Kindness is manifested in helpfulness, meeting the needs of the moment without concern for rights or reward. Kindness is a willingness to be flexible and agreeable. Finally, kindness initiates love without waiting for it first.
This weekend at City on a Hill Church, we're continuing our series on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and we'll be discussing kindness and goodness. These are similar words and concepts in both the English language as well as the original Greek in which Galatians was written. The word used to describe Christ's yoke in Matthew 11:30 is the same Paul uses in Galatians 5 to describe the fruit of the Spirit. It does not chafe. Love is goodness that is at both strong and kind.
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