The Fruit of the Holy Spirit - Pt. 6

 

I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord, the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:7-9 ESV)

 

If my experience with the media, social posts, political rhetoric, and the preponderance of personal attacks on individuals is any indication, this next fruit of the Holy Spirit has been lost in our modern culture. It is “kindness.” How did we go so far in the defense of our core beliefs that we forgot how to be kind? This is not the example we see from the Lord in Scripture.

 

In our reading today, Isaiah tells about the kindnesses of God and all that the Lord has done for us. Already in the garden of Eden we see the kindness of God to the first couple. God had warned Adam and Eve of the dire consequences of disobeying his command. When they disobeyed anyway, they became aware of their guilt and were afraid. But God displayed at least two great acts of kindness:

 

§  First, instead of bringing about the punishment of death right away, God promised to send his Son to take on the ultimate punishment for sin. We are not far removed from the celebration of that fulfillment in history. When Jesus became human and took on the sin of all men this was the apex example of loving-kindness. From that time forward, God’s kindness has been on display as he points to his Son, Jesus, the Savior, as the way of forgiveness, restoration, and full life forever.

 

§  Second, God took care of Adam and Eve’s immediate needs and gave them clothes to wear. They did not earn this gracious expression from God; He simply saw a need and provided. This was not the eradication of God’s judgment. This was God being kind.

 

Can we be less than our gracious Father? Even when our blood boils, we can be kind because of the Holy Spirit!