It's a new month! Welcome to episode 27 of This Is The Way podcast, this month we're focusing on kindness and solitude.
God is kind, and I am not (at least not naturally)
I want to be kind. I know I am called to be kind, but I am judgmental, I am not very gentle, or extra thoughtful/caring. If you catch me on an 'off day,' I might be snappy. Again, when we're caught off guard, it exposed the ugly parts of us we would rather keep hidden. Kindness is more than just being nice because you can fake being nice. Nice is just necessary, it's manners, not morality. A lot of times people define nice as just not being mean. That's a pretty low bar. But biblical kindness overlaps with a lot of other characteristics, grace, mercy, compassion, tenderhearted, forgiving, empathy, caring, goodness, gentleness, favor, etc.
The Greek word for kindness used in Colossians 3 is chrestoteta, which means: goodness, excellence, uprightness, integrity. The root word kind or crestos means: fit for use, useful, virtuous, good. This is not a passive word. Kindness is active; it is going out of your way, being useful, helpful, adding value. This kindness is supernatural, it's a fruit of the spirit, not a fruit of the flesh. As we grow closer to God and are transformed more and more to look like, talk like and act like Jesus the more kindness we will display. Not forcefully, like *deep breath* "I will kind to this person even though I really don't like them." Supernatural kindness isn't faked, when God transforms us he takes the old and gives us new. Let us pursue kindness today, because "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor" (Proverbs 21:21).
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