Kind or Behind?

“What is desired in a man is kindness.”

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and selfishness a fruit of the flesh. Kindness doesn’t just come naturally because its origin is super-natural. Most people aren’t just inclined to be kind unless they walk in the Spirit. The commandment is love and it takes effort and endurance to enforce it upon ourselves. We must get to the point where we wholeheartedly believe in the Love of God, habitually receive it, in our heart conceive it, and purpose to achieve it. The love of God in action produces His character and His character is kindness. In other words God has given us the ability to act like Nobility. And that we should, because we are royalty. “The noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands.” (Isa 32:8 NIV) And the ignoble man makes ignoble plans, and even with all his selfish demands, he still can’t stand. And we can’t stand him. But what if we are him?

Here’s an example. For many years I have been trying to teach my children to put their own dishes in the dishwasher. It seems like I’ve told them a million times and it’s almost amazing that they can’t remember after all the “nagging”. I put signs on the window in front of the sink, but this didn’t help it just obstructed the view. I tried putting a large cutting board over the sink, but it just gets in the way and the dishes just end up on the counter. I’ve tried compelling, telling and yelling but it’s still an issue and may be until they move out. And it’s not that I really mind doing the dishes because I don’t, but what bothers me is a lack of kindness. I don’t want my children to develop the habit of being inconsiderate. It’s easy to be lazy and let someone else take up the slack but this is the way of people who lack. Giving produces increase and taking decrease and we can’t save time by taking it from others. This is also why my wife is always trying to get us to clean up after ourselves. I’m sure it’s annoying to pick up after everyone but the main vexation probably comes from knowing that you live with a bunch of people with the character defect of unkindness. Not that we do it on purpose and that’s exactly the point. If we don’t purpose to be kind we will act like a behind. People that are lazy and inconsiderate can not also be noble and great and “unkind Christian” should be an oxymoron.

God is Almighty and He is also very kind. If we say that we’re like Him and, “strong in the Lord and the power of His might!” then we also must be mighty kind. And if we want to claim, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” then we should take His supernatural strength and use it to develop the character of kindness.

Prov 19:22
What is desired in a man is kindness
NKJV

Isa 32:8
8 But the noble man makes noble plans,
and by noble deeds he stands.
NIV

1 Cor 13:4
Love endures long and is patient and kind
AMP

Gal 5:22-24
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
NIV

Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
NKJV

Eph 2:3-7
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
NKJV

Luke 6:35-36
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
NKJV

Eph 4:29-32
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
NKJV

2 Peter 1:2-112 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
NKJV

Psalm 117
1 Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!
2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!
NKJV

Isa 54:10
10 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.
NKJV