Lessons on Love From 1 Corinthians 13, Part 5: Love is Kind
"Love is kind." (1 Cor. 13:4)
You probably have heard the expression “to kill someone with kindness”
which, in reality, is to show how “good” you are and how “bad” he or she
is. If we can kill with kindness, surely we can seek to save with it as
well. Unfortunately the world can be an unkind place. It seems that
kindness has gone out of style, at least in the world, but we are to be
“in the world, but not of it”. How can we show the love of Jesus? By
being like Jesus. The gospels paint a picture of our Savior as gentle
and kind, touching the untouchables and ministering to the outcasts of
society, the ones the religious establishment scorned and ostracized.
How can we do less than He, when He did so much for us? In Matthew 25:45
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of
the least of these, you did not do for me.” Would we fail to show
kindness for Jesus if we should meet Him on the street? I have no doubt
that we would fall at His feet and rush to do whatever He asked of us.
However, what He has actually already asked of us, we do not do. He has
asked us to be kind to those that He loves, the people around us, those
whom we see every day. And what will we say, when we see Him face to
face and He asks us why we have failed to love those He loves, to show
kindness to strangers and loved ones alike? Will we see His
disappointment? Maybe His love and forgiveness for us will be too great
for that, but dare we risk a broken heart should we fail the One Who
never fails? I pray that we all will be more mindful every day of the
kindnesses we can do. The harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few.
Will you be the one to show the kindness of God Almighty to those who
are dying for His touch? He is counting on us all, and if we will yield
to the Holy Spirit living in us--the Comforter, the Healer, our Refuge
and Strength--we will find that He is all that we need to show the love
of Jesus in a real and powerful way.
Yours in love and in Christ,
Sonya Richards