Love suffers long and is KIND; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails… (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NKJV).
Love is Kind
Kindness is the second of 16 agape love characteristics. Like long-suffering, kindness is expressed positively, as in love IS kind as opposed to love IS NOT unkind.
Sincere kindness is one of the most comforting things human beings can do and be to one another. This is not the superficial sort of kindness that is so prevalent in the world. You know, professional kindness, the interpersonal product certain people are paid to produce. That's not really comforting because there is nothing real but money or reputation or pride behind it. It's too brittle, and is too easily dispensed with when the thin veneer of civility gets ripped away by circumstances or strong emotions.
True kindness that transcends circumstances can ONLY come from agape love, because it is the kindness that is not dependent on anything else but itself. It, like agape love as a whole, is a firm decision of the will, not a byproduct of good digestion, momentary good-will, sufficient sleep, or a hundred other ephemeral things that can blow away like a dried leaf.
True kindness, like true long-suffering, is supernatural. We can only live this way through the free reign and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is, and should be, a supernatural byproduct of a new heart and a regenerated spirit in Christ. And make no mistake, this is what we Christians are expected to be. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory. For the unregenerate, the best that can be achieved is that professional sort that is really nothing more than a facade that can be ripped away when the rains descend, the floods come and wind blows. The benchmark of this real kind of kindness, like this real kind of long-suffering, is most accurately measured when nobody else is looking.
The question then arises, how do we mere human beings live our lives in this non-professional, down-to-the-bone, sincere long-suffering and kindness. The two part answer is this: dependence and knowledge.
Dependence on the One who is the transcendent source of these characteristics. The One who perfectly demonstrated these very things in His life and ministry as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. The One whose long-suffering and kindness leads us to repentance. WE cannot be this way WITHOUT Christ. As I age, I find it easier to depend on things. Part of it is sheer repetition. I fully depend, for instance, on that other driver stopping at his red light so that my green light means something because it has happened that way so reliably in the past. And part of it is a growing sense of my own growing weakness. Go on a run with your athletic 16-year old daughter and you'll see what I mean. Try as I might, I cannot close the gap of speed, distance or years.
Knowledge is the other crucial ingredient in living and being this way. True knowledge that comes by revelation from God in His word, not the so-called wisdom and knowledge of this world. I spent most of my life steeped in worldly knowledge, immersed in it like a cucumber in vinegar, and the contrast between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom is like the contrast between dark and light, despair and hope, death and life.
The knowledge of WHAT we are supposed to be is revealed in Scripture by God in countless places, and depicted in diamond clarity by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. But it goes beyond that, because in addition to the WHAT, that same divine, authoritative source of knowledge tells us HOW to be that way. The key: surround and surrender. Surround yourself in the Word of God. His truth is sufficient for all things pertaining to life and godliness. Then surrender to His revealed will for you, which is to be conformed into the image of His Son.
Of course, if you don't hold that the Bible is the Word of God, then none of this will be really helpful, or matter, or mean anything. You can dismiss it as just another magical incantation of one of those fundamentalist Christians. But if you know Christ and believe in His Word, then take this promise to heart, and follow peacefully rather than kicking and screaming to that destiny He has in store for you, knowing -
"…that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6, NKJV).
Love is Kind
Kindness is the second of 16 agape love characteristics. Like long-suffering, kindness is expressed positively, as in love IS kind as opposed to love IS NOT unkind.
Sincere kindness is one of the most comforting things human beings can do and be to one another. This is not the superficial sort of kindness that is so prevalent in the world. You know, professional kindness, the interpersonal product certain people are paid to produce. That's not really comforting because there is nothing real but money or reputation or pride behind it. It's too brittle, and is too easily dispensed with when the thin veneer of civility gets ripped away by circumstances or strong emotions.
True kindness that transcends circumstances can ONLY come from agape love, because it is the kindness that is not dependent on anything else but itself. It, like agape love as a whole, is a firm decision of the will, not a byproduct of good digestion, momentary good-will, sufficient sleep, or a hundred other ephemeral things that can blow away like a dried leaf.
True kindness, like true long-suffering, is supernatural. We can only live this way through the free reign and ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is, and should be, a supernatural byproduct of a new heart and a regenerated spirit in Christ. And make no mistake, this is what we Christians are expected to be. It is Christ in us, the hope of glory. For the unregenerate, the best that can be achieved is that professional sort that is really nothing more than a facade that can be ripped away when the rains descend, the floods come and wind blows. The benchmark of this real kind of kindness, like this real kind of long-suffering, is most accurately measured when nobody else is looking.
The question then arises, how do we mere human beings live our lives in this non-professional, down-to-the-bone, sincere long-suffering and kindness. The two part answer is this: dependence and knowledge.
Dependence on the One who is the transcendent source of these characteristics. The One who perfectly demonstrated these very things in His life and ministry as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. The One whose long-suffering and kindness leads us to repentance. WE cannot be this way WITHOUT Christ. As I age, I find it easier to depend on things. Part of it is sheer repetition. I fully depend, for instance, on that other driver stopping at his red light so that my green light means something because it has happened that way so reliably in the past. And part of it is a growing sense of my own growing weakness. Go on a run with your athletic 16-year old daughter and you'll see what I mean. Try as I might, I cannot close the gap of speed, distance or years.
Knowledge is the other crucial ingredient in living and being this way. True knowledge that comes by revelation from God in His word, not the so-called wisdom and knowledge of this world. I spent most of my life steeped in worldly knowledge, immersed in it like a cucumber in vinegar, and the contrast between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom is like the contrast between dark and light, despair and hope, death and life.
The knowledge of WHAT we are supposed to be is revealed in Scripture by God in countless places, and depicted in diamond clarity by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. But it goes beyond that, because in addition to the WHAT, that same divine, authoritative source of knowledge tells us HOW to be that way. The key: surround and surrender. Surround yourself in the Word of God. His truth is sufficient for all things pertaining to life and godliness. Then surrender to His revealed will for you, which is to be conformed into the image of His Son.
Of course, if you don't hold that the Bible is the Word of God, then none of this will be really helpful, or matter, or mean anything. You can dismiss it as just another magical incantation of one of those fundamentalist Christians. But if you know Christ and believe in His Word, then take this promise to heart, and follow peacefully rather than kicking and screaming to that destiny He has in store for you, knowing -
"…that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6, NKJV).
