Virtues over Vices - Kindness

 

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV).

 

"Nice" and "kind" are often used interchangeably, but kindness is generally considered a deeper trait, stemming from genuine care and empathy, while niceness can be more superficial and focused on politeness or pleasing others. Kindness often involves acting in a person's best interest, which may include having difficult conversations or setting boundaries, whereas niceness is more about agreeable behavior that avoids conflict. In the Scripture the Greek word chrestotes, translated as “kindness,” goes deeper. It refers to making ourselves useful or beneficial to others, and sometimes that is much more difficult to do.

 

In our reading today, taken from Ephesians 2, we see some amazing things about the grace of God. By God’s grace we receive the free gift of salvation from our sins. The gift is free, and yet we sometimes forget that it changes us. Grace gets results. Grace is useful, beneficial, and kind.

 

Grace is useful because it changes us. It lifts us up. It seats us on a heavenly throne with Christ Jesus—we become minor rulers serving the King of kings! But don’t forget that kings have responsibilities. Our royal responsibilities include showing the grace of God to everyone, everywhere. We do that by living out the good works that the King of kings has prepared for us to do. And when we do those good works, we become useful, or kind to the world, which in turn can better understand the grace of God expressed through the kindness of Christ Jesus to us.

 

How are you doing in the development of kindness toward others?