Keith and Kristyn Getty begin “Compassion Hymn” with these words, “There is an
everlasting kindness You lavished on us.”
That is indeed what we find in the wonderful grace of God –
kindness. Kindness is such a simple idea
but such a powerful and transforming act.
We have been transformed by God’s kindness to be kind.
Paul
wrote the Ephesians, “But be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted forgiving
one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” (4:32) As a pastor
of nearly 40 years I can testify that one place that sees far too little of the
kindness that Paul describes is the church.
Of all places where it should be easiest to manifest the kindness of
God, it should be in the house of God.
It should be where we hear of His grace and are strengthened in the walk
of grace. We need to practice kindness
in the church.
In
Luke 6:35 Jesus uses this same word to describe how God is to those who are
unthankful and evil. Kindness is an
integral part of the great grace of God.
It is a manifestation of His grace that we can participate in daily. Think
of those to whom Jesus was kind. There
was the outcast leper who no one would help but Jesus. There was the woman caught in adultery that
the Pharisees wanted to unlawfully execute.
There was Syro-Phoneician woman who was a despised Gentile whose
daughter Jesus healed. There was Matthew
the tax collector, Mary Magdalene the prostitute, the Mad Man of the Gadarenes
and we cannot forget Christ denying Peter.
He was kind to them all. Do we
know many people who are “worse” than these?
We need to show the kindness of Christ to needy people in streets of our
life each day.
Peter
also uses this word “kindness”. When we
find it in I Peter 2:3, however, it is translated “gracious”. The idea of the words is truly
inseparable. I would like to add another
verse to Kate Wilkinson’s lovely devotional hymn “May the Mind of Christ, My
Savior”. Sing this with the same
tune. “May the grace of Christ my Savior flow from me for Him each day; that
the world may see my Jesus, find in Him the way.”
You
may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,
available
here:
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