Summer Fruit Devotion: Kindness Day 4

Strong Kindness

“We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Kill them with kindness,” but as a weapon of righteousness, kindness doesn’t really work that way. That attitude is more about manipulation to get some sort of benefit or affection from someone. This spiritual fruit of kindness is fueled by the Holy Spirit and born out of genuine love. It protects us in the darkness and advances the Kingdom of God in a way that brute force never could. When Jesus was kind to the lepers and the blind and the adulterous they repented and followed him. The apostles went out preaching the gospel, praying and healing and so many people got saved. They were maligned and slandered and persecuted and they responded with kindness. For Christ and the Apostles this wasn’t weepy, wimpy kindness, but a strong kindness that stands up and says, “the kindest thing I can say is telling the truth in love,” and “the kindest thing I can do is give my life for yours.”

Journal time. Our world sees kindness as a weakness and uses kindness as manipulation. Have you ever thought of kindness as a strength of character? Has anyone ever been kind to you in a way that changed your heart toward them or the Lord?

Pray with me today. Heavenly Father, you are full of pure and genuine kindness toward us. You hear our cries and deliver us. You call us to follow you and then you provide all these weapons of righteousness to defend us. Help us learn to stand strong in kindness, to tell the truth in love, and to give ourselves away for the sake of your name. In the strong and kind name of Jesus we pray, Amen.