11/12/2013

Galatians 5:22 Kindness, a Fruit of the Spirit

Kindness is the fifth Gift of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22.  It is a characteristic which has to do with our relationships with others.  It is the way we express love to our family and others.  When we love someone we want to treat them with Kindness and we want others to treat us kindly.

Kindness, generosity, and mercy are the heart of God’s nature.  Christ gave Himself for our sins.  Because of what Jesus did for us, when we receive Him and His Holy Spirit, this nature of Kindness begins to grow in our human spirit.  In our human nature we are all deficient, flawed, and weak.  No one has “arrived” spiritually.  As we yield to the Holy Spirit, He grows our spirit developing the virtue of Kindness within us.

Isaiah 54:10 says, “ ‘For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall my covenant of peace be removed’, says the Lord who has mercy on you”.  As a believer, I experience God’s peace and His Kindness (Blessings and Favor) in my life.


Our Lord and Savior was kind and our Father requires us to be kind and merciful.  He gave us His Holy Spirit to enable us to grow in Kindness and mercy toward others.  In   Matthew 5:7 Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful (kind) for they shall obtain mercy”.  Our Kindness and mercy toward others will in someway come back to us.  We are not to be kind for that which we want to receive in return.  We are to be kind to others because Kindness and mercy have now become our nature and our natural loving response to others.  We look for no reward from the person to whom we showed kindness.  An example of this unselfish kindness is seen in the parable of The Good Samaritan in Luke 10: 30-37.  The Good Samaritan showed the wounded traveler unconditional kindness.  This is the Kindness and mercy which the Holy Spirit is working on perfecting in our lives.  Come Holy Spirit Come! Perfect your gift of Kindness in my spirit.  Thank you, Lord.          

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