Romans Chapter 2: Verse 4 (NIV)
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
Romans Chapter 11: Verses 22-24 (NIV)
Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
Galatians Chapter 5: Verse 22 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 13: 4 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
God is kind. Kindness is powerful. Paul tells us that it’s the kindness of God which brings us to Himself. Bible dictionaries describe Kindness as selfless, compassionate, and merciful; its greatest power revealed in practice to our enemies and amongst the least of these. It means love your neighbour; show kindness to everyone. According to the Bible, kindness is rooted in love, not simply in being tolerant. The Old Testament uses the word ‘hesed’, which means “loving-kindness,” to describe the way God loves His people.
When I think of an example of God’s kindness, I think of the way Jesus treated the woman caught in adultery. He did not judge her, as He of all people could have done, and His kindness alongside his not condemning her, setting her on the right road, drew her back to God. How much more should we show kindness, as God has shown kindness to us. We are His followers. And the kindness we show to those who may even have been unkind to us, may be the very thing that points them in the direction of the One who has been kind to us all.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the kindness that draws me to You. Kindness that is undeserved but shows Your unconditional love, which is beyond measure. Amen.