KIND
“But love ye your enemies, and do
good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and
he shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and
to the evil.” Luke 6:35
The example of Christ is one
of kindness toward those who, in our estimation, are undeserving. The word, kind, has the meaning of fit, fit
for use, useful, virtuous, or good. It
also means manageable, mild, pleasant (as opp. to harsh, hard sharp, bitter),
benevolent.When faced with the angry crowd and the woman caught in adultery, Jesus chose to show kindness. His response was guarded, patient and mild. When faced with the hassled Martha, his response was fit for use, instructional, corrective, not harsh or bitter. Even when he encountered the legion of devils and cast them into the swine, we read of no sharp words.
This verse also reminds me of the verse: “God sends rain upon the just and the unjust.” God sees no need to be unkind. Man’s judgment is already set. God’s goal is to see man redeemed. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. (Romans 2:4) He is not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)
That does not mean that God approves of or overlooks unthankfulness or evil ways. It does mean, however, that God does not have to respond in like in his dealings with men. He is drawing from a different source – a higher source.
So what about us?
Are we to follow the Lord’s example?
Of course we are! We, too, do not
have to render evil for evil. We can
choose to be Christ-like in our responses and yet not agree with sin. Samuel
Johnson said, “Kindness is in our power even when fondness is not.”
Sometimes I find people think that if they are kind
to their enemy then they are losing ground, or, if they show mercy/kindness
then they are acting from a weak position.
This is not true. Our choice to
act in kindness will have two results.
First, it will bring conviction upon the evil one - Romans 12:20 And, it will keep us from a guilty conscience
– Acts 24:16
I can choose to be kind even when I may not
agree. I can choose to be kind even when
I am not seeking to be friendly.
Kindness should be a rule of life and tongue.
How kind are you?
How kind are your words? When
faced with difficult people, does your kindness wane? Have you learned to disagree without being
disagreeable?
KIND
“And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath
forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
This
is a Gritts family verse. Such verses
are those I would regularly quote to my children to remind them of how they
ought to be behaving. I had one child
who needed this reminder more often than others. Kindness, tenderheartedness and ready
forgiveness were traits this particular child needed to learn to apply.
Sometimes
I think we believe that being kind is simply attuned to being nice, tolerant,
and polite, and it is, but the definition is much deeper. Our Lord was kind to the unthankful and to
the evil in a way that fit and manageable, we are also called upon to move from
just being nice, to actually being of use to those around us.
People
need more than a measured niceness. They
need to see genuine care and concern.
Being kind means making a difference, actually showing compassion and
being useful in the life of the other person.
Who needs a friend that is only nice on the surface? Yea, what if Christ were only superficial in
his kindness toward us?
We
read in Psalm 117:2, “For his merciful
kindness is great
toward us…” When you link merciful with kindness you get
an even larger picture. Just as mercy is
unmerited, so is kindness. Kindness
isn’t based on merit, but on choice. We
choose to show kindness. We are also,
according to the phraseology of this verse, commanded to be kind – “…be ye kind
one to another…” So, while we are left
with the choice, we are also under the expectation of obedience in this area.
I also like the
side of this definition that describes being kind as manageable. To me this means that we aren’t to be going
around shoveling our kindness upon everyone in such a way as to be
irritating. I have met people whose
kindness was simply unnecessary or uncalled for. They seemed to be going out of their way to
call attention to their own goodness.
This isn’t kindness. It is
attention seeking, self serving and manipulative. It is also an indication that something is
missing on the inside – a filter, if you will, as to when showing kindness is
appropriate and useful.
Have you ever
thought about your motives behind showing kindness? Are you superficial in your kindness? Are you obedient to the Lord’s example in
your kindness?
KIND
“Charity suffereth long,
and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed
up…” I Corinthians 13:4
Interesting
to note how the Lord used suffering and kindness in the same relation to
love. Suffering long does not generally
produce kindness in us - irritation, short temper, frustration, yes, but
kindness? Rarely! The basic definition
as used here means to show one’s self as mild, to be kind and use
kindness. This gives us the Bible
response to enduring difficult people – mild responses and kind actions.
I
seem to be one of those magnets for difficult people. I feel like they see me across the room and
think, “Ah…someone who will listen to me, someone who will be interested in me,
someone I can make a friend.” Sadly, I
can see them coming before they even speak. I know this is going to be a test
of my patience. They start their saga
and I stand there listening and doing the usual hum’s and ah’s all the while
feeling trapped and looking for an escape route. Meanwhile, my mind is quoting verses about
kindness and patience and I am under such a strain as to how to manage the situation
and still show kindness.
Sometimes
I can manage to get hold of the conversation and give them a measure of hope
and care. Sometimes I have to make
excuse and end the conversation in order to walk away. Either way, my response must be measured by
kindness – a mild response, rather than an abrupt explosion – “Get out of my
face!”
Don’t
judge me too harshly. Be honest, we have
all been in that place where we felt trapped and it was hard to find the nice
way out of the situation. Sometimes I
think we have to simply endure. But that
does not give us license to be unkind.
When we are pushed to our limits, there is never an excuse for
unkindness. Every response needs to be
measured and given out of love and kindness – even when the truth hurts, it can
be given with a kind word.
Do
you struggle with remaining kind in the face of difficult people or hard
circumstances? Are you words and
responses measured by kindness? Or, does
your patience wear thin and allow an explosion?
KIND
“And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be
kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will
be thy servants for ever.” II Chronicles 10:7
This
was the advice given to King Rehoboam as he ascended to the throne -If he
wanted his subjects to follow him, then he needed to meet out kindness to
them. The elders were telling him that
being good, pleasant and agreeable would give him the advantage and good will
of the people. It would bring him into
higher esteem and secure his reign. We
know from the story that he chose to ignore this advice and began to rule with
a heavy and unkind hand. His reign was
shortened.
This
is a good example for all who are in leadership – in the home, church and
business. How we treat those who are
under our care and direction directly relates to our success as a leader. Tyrants do not create love and esteem from
their followers. They may get obedience
and productivity, but they will not generate true loyalty and respect. Conversely, leaders who lead with kindness,
care, and genuine concern will create an atmosphere of love and respect. They will have obedience and productivity
accompanied with a happy home, a unified church and/or a good work environment.
It
comes back to the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto
you. If you as a leader want kind
responses from those you are leading, then you must lead by example. Ephesians 6:9 instructs and warns: “And,
ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that
your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.”
We
will all give account of how we treated others, God holds us all equally
accountable. Just because we might be in
a position of authority over other individuals does not mean that we are above
God’s law. Just as He instructed workers
to obey, He reminds the leaders that they also have a Master, and obedience is
required.
How
are you measuring up as a leader? As a
parent, are you parenting with kindness?
As a church leader, are you leading by kindly example? As a business leader, are you directing your
business appropriately, according to God’s directives? Are you kind or are you a tyrant?
KIND
“He gave of gold by weight for
things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service: silver also for
all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of
service.” I Chronicles 28:14
The word, kind, is one of
those words with several different usages.
Here it has nothing at all to do with demeanour, but is simply a
definition of general description. Since
the word is used in a phrase the definition has to do also with the labour
involved. “Of every kind of
service”…different instruments necessary for the use in the temple made by the
labourers. These workers were tasked
with making the necessary instruments and Solomon provided the materials
necessary. Their job was to render their
service to see that every kind of instrument was made. Every kind of thing necessary to create the temple was provided. Every sort of worker, from the skilled to the simple manual labour was available. God had even given Solomon the exact details of how each part should be built and decorated. Some things were to be covered in gold, others in silver or brass. It must have been an amazingly beautiful and lavish building.
Try to imagine the work involved in the building of these magnificent buildings when there were no computers, no advance machinery, and no health and safety laws! I’ve seen movies that try to portray the work conditions and the amazing fetes of architectural prowess the people of this era accomplished. It is astounding to think of them elevating huge boulders with only human strength and a few pulleys to the height of the pyramids. And then to overlay huge statues with pure gold – we can’t even begin to afford such things today.
When we come back to the “every kind” side of our thought today, we have to say that God has everything in order. Every kind of service is of value to him. From the skilled worker to the manual labourer, God is involved.
Sometimes we think our place is life small, unrewarding or insignificant – mothers of young children, cleaners, unappreciated fathers and pastors, factory workers, etc. No doubt some of the workers at the temple often felt the same. Most of them were just slave labour. Only a few were skilled craftsmen. All of them were just doing what the king required.
Our King recognizes every service done unto him. In I Corinthians 15:58 we are reminded: “…your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” And in Proverbs 14:23: “…In all labour there is profit…”
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