Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient and kind;
Devotion
Yesterday, Christian showed us how God demonstrates his love for us through patience. Next, Paul tells us that love is also kind. What does it mean to be kind? Is it treating other people politely? Holding the door for the person behind you; letting the person with only a few items go in front of you at the grocery store checkout; slowing down so another car can merge? Sure, it’s all those things, but also so much more.
Kindness is caring about the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of others more than you do about your own. It’s giving a gift or some words of encouragement to someone who is going through a hard time, not because they might return the favor one day (though they might), but simply because you want them to feel better. It’s offering to help someone with household chores you know they don’t have time for, or watch their kids so they can have some time to themselves, because you know they’ve been stressed and can’t catch a break. It’s coming together as a group to buy gift cards for a family when both parents have lost their jobs and the future seems uncertain. It’s anything you do for someone else, simply because it will make their life better, with no expectation that it will make yours so.
As Christians, any kindness that we show others is a reflection of the greatest kindness ever shown, that God sent his son, Jesus, to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we could live in communion with God forever. A “loan” we would never be able to repay, given for our benefit, and nothing more. Kindness is how we can demonstrate God’s love for the world, one small act at a time.
Prayer
God, thank you for sharing with us the ultimate act of kindness. Help me to focus more on sharing that kindness with everyone around me, so that they might see you through it. Amen.
Recent Comments