God Speaking

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and deeply loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

(Colossians 3: 12)

Just recently I was reading an interesting article on a web site depicting education for small children and one section was devoted to how effective it is to teach children through song and particularly, regarding manners and relating to others. All those who have watched that two-year-old wrench a toy out of another child’s grasp with a wild shout of MINE!!!, will agree that we are not born filled with love and concern for others.  I was surprised to see how many of the children’s songs were about kindness, and became quite entranced with listening to the videos of children singing these sweet little songs. One was entitled. “You got to try a little kindness.”  I listened to it over and over!

I was thinking this morning that it is not only children who have to be reminded about kindness, but all of us grown-ups need to have that song running through our minds. This is reinforced by a page on my Facebook which stated it very plainly. It read;

It only takes one slow-walking person in the grocery store to destroy the illusion that I am a nice person

I can certainly relate to that statement and with the fast pace of life in our present age, it is easy to be irritated by others and driving seems to elevate the annoyance we can have with others’ perceived mistakes and the blasting of horns certainly does not improve matters or display any form of kindness.

When Paul was writing to the young churches, he impressed repeatedly the importance of kindness to each other.

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5: 15)

Our model of kindness rests with our Heavenly Father and he longs for us to learn from him and tells Hosea the prophet that cords of kindness lead us;

“I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.” (Hosea 11: 4)

When we read how the Lord deals with us with kindness it makes it easier to treat others with that same love. Even the secular world has grasped that and we read of “random acts of kindness” being promoted in the media etc., but how much more weight will our acts of kindness carry when the Holy Spirit inspires them.

Paul tell us that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is kindness

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.”  (Galatians 5: 22 – 23)

I love the last sentence of this verse. You will not be in any sort of trouble with the law when you exhibit kindness!