Growing Together – Day 17: Kindness
READ: Titus 3:4-5 - 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit… (NASB)
John Piper, in the video clip below, says – “In order for the word kindness (in the Deity) to land on us with something like its appropriate force, we have to enlarge our picture of God.”
In the introduction of his book, Love Kindness, Dr. Barry Corey from BIOLA University writes this – “Kindness…is not random. It’s radical. It is brave and daring, fearless and courageous, and at times, kindness is dangerous. It has more power to change people than we can imagine. It can break down seemingly impenetrable walls. It can reconcile relationships long thought irreparable. It can empower leaders and break stalemates. It can reconcile nations. Kindness as Jesus lived it is at the heart of peacemaking and has the muscle to move mountains…Don’t sell kindness short.”
So these two men are encouraging us toward a bigger view of God and a bigger view of His particular brand of kindness.
REFLECT: We were dead in our sin, completely unable to save ourselves, and the kindness of God is Jesus. As Paul tells Titus. In all that He said and did – and continues to do through His Spirit - Jesus is the embodiment of God’s kindness to us.
What does it mean for us? We don’t have the ability to do what Jesus did, so how do we show God’s kindness to others?
Maybe a bigger view of kindness really means a more focused view of kindness. While ‘niceness’ may have selfish aims, or no conscious aims, kindness is the sometimes spontaneous, but never aimless, beneficial initiative towards others – in words or deeds – that is always intended to point to God’s saving kindness.
WATCH: