40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 26 | KINDNESS
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 26 | KINDNESS
KINDNESS
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The Webster online dictionary gives the following synonyms for kindness: benevolence, courtesy, favor, grace, indulgence, and mercy.
In Ephesians 4, Paul is writing to the Christians there (and to us too) about keeping UNITY in the body of Believers (the local church) and how to live DIFFERENTLY than the Gentiles. He says: “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.” (Eph 4:17-18)
He then instructs the church on talking and acting with one another. There are 59 “one-another” phrases used in the New Testament, and today’s verse is one of those. And here we are told to “BE KIND … to one another.”
One of the synonyms for kindness is “courtesy.” In the OLD days, people were – I think – generally more courteous to one another. Men would usually hold the door open for others behind them; we would offer to help an older person somehow, and so on. Those are kindnesses.
I believe that MANY people you and I meet every day are hurting somehow. Maybe they are fearful or hurting in some other way. Even Believers in Christ (to whom today’s verse is directed) are too often insensitive, impatient, and even short with one another. Through these verses, the Lord is teaching us how to create a church that people want to be a part of and will find refreshingly loving, peaceful, and kind.
Prayer: LORD, I want my church to be ALL that you want it to be, and that includes us all being KIND and compassionate to one another. Please help me become more and more like that, day by day and week by week.
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The Webster online dictionary gives the following synonyms for kindness: benevolence, courtesy, favor, grace, indulgence, and mercy.
In Ephesians 4, Paul is writing to the Christians there (and to us too) about keeping UNITY in the body of Believers (the local church) and how to live DIFFERENTLY than the Gentiles. He says: “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.” (Eph 4:17-18)
He then instructs the church on talking and acting with one another. There are 59 “one-another” phrases used in the New Testament, and today’s verse is one of those. And here we are told to “BE KIND … to one another.”
One of the synonyms for kindness is “courtesy.” In the OLD days, people were – I think – generally more courteous to one another. Men would usually hold the door open for others behind them; we would offer to help an older person somehow, and so on. Those are kindnesses.
I believe that MANY people you and I meet every day are hurting somehow. Maybe they are fearful or hurting in some other way. Even Believers in Christ (to whom today’s verse is directed) are too often insensitive, impatient, and even short with one another. Through these verses, the Lord is teaching us how to create a church that people want to be a part of and will find refreshingly loving, peaceful, and kind.
Prayer: LORD, I want my church to be ALL that you want it to be, and that includes us all being KIND and compassionate to one another. Please help me become more and more like that, day by day and week by week.
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