Kindness is a Sign of…

Luke 6:35,36 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (ESV)

So much of what Jesus taught was deeply rooted in our ordinary, everyday realities. Yes, He did talk about what we believe, but He talked much more about what we do.

That’s an uncomfortable truth, because it’s quite easy to believe in Jesus without changing how we live. Yep, my eternal insurance policy is signed, sealed and delivered because I believe in Jesus. But responding to what He taught by changing our behaviour … that’s intensely inconvenient. So many give the whole notion of “repentance” a wide berth. For instance, Jesus said …

Luke 6:35,36 … love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (ESV)

Our enemies? Seriously?! We’d rather be rude to them than kind or good or merciful. I saw something the other day – no idea who wrote it, but it really resonated with me:

“Being rude is easy. It doesn’t take much effort and it’s a sign of weakness and insecurity. Kindness though, shows great self-control. Being kind isn’t always easy when dealing with rude people. Kindness is a sign of a person who has done a lot of personal work and has come to a great self-understanding and wisdom. Choose to be kind over being right and you’ll be right every time because kindness is a sign of strength.”

It is indeed. The kinder and more merciful we become, the more we look to the world like the Jesus in whom we profess to believe.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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