Showing Kindness—Essential in the Sight of God
kindness touches the human heart and speaks to it, often more powerfully than words can
It is natural for us to be kind to those closely related to us, for kindness basically means affection arising from kinship: The Oxford English Dictionary shows that the original meaning of "kindness" is "kinship; near relationship; natural affection arising from this."
Jesus said that his heavenly Father is kind not only to those who love Him but also "toward the unthankful"
Paul, after speaking about showing kindness to strangers, went on to say: "Through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels." Can you imagine how you would feel if you were given the opportunity to entertain angels? But Paul prefaced this with the expression "unknown to themselves." Putting it another way, his point was that if we have the habit of showing kindness to others, including strangers or people we do not really know, we might be rewarded in unexpected ways.
by being kind to our fellow humans, we come to know God better, and that makes us happier
showing kindness to others can be the best thing you can do for yourself when you feel down
When you are not sure of the right thing to say or do under a certain circumstance, say or do the kind thing
Can You Display More Loving-kindness?
chesedh: "not primarily a disposition but a helpful act corresponding to a relationship of trust"—The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
If God, who never offends anyone, freely forgives the offensive deeds of others, how much more should imperfect humans do so!
Keep Christ’s Mental Attitude in You
A kind person is friendly, gentle, sympathetic, and gracious (definition and examples)
When Jesus invited Peter to get out of the boat and walk toward Him on the water, Peter actually did so for a while. Then Peter looked at the windstorm and began to sink. Did Jesus become incensed and say to him: "Serves you right! Let that be a lesson to you"? No! "Immediately stretching out his hand Jesus caught hold of him and said to him: ‘You with little faith, why did you give way to doubt?’" (Matt. 14:28-31) If we ever have to deal with a brother’s apparent lack of faith, can we figuratively stretch out our hand and help him to gain more faith?
Let Your Brotherly Love Continue!
Jehovah . . . 'remembers that we are dust' (so am I; so are all my brothers and sisters)
Jehovah focuses on . . . the good things that we do (what do I focus on?)
do not limit it to the correcting of problems. Rather, its overall tone is positive. Like Jesus Christ, . . . look first for the good to commend, not the fault to criticize (before I think anything negative about anyone, find one genuine good point)
One of the most potent fuels for brotherly love is a simple act of kindness (acts mean more than feelings or words, and they cause love to grow)
one of the most vital acts of kindness is forgiveness—freely letting go of resentment, even when there is a legitimate cause for complaint (one of my biggest struggles)
Kindness—A Quality Expressed in Word and Action
Kindness . . . is expressed through helpful words and deeds. An active quality (like love, I can develop kindness by acts of kindness)
Jehovah is kind toward all (I need to feel kindly even toward those I'm not close to)
it can also be shown through thoughtful and motivating words (kind speech isn't all about me; it should be spiritually encouraging above all)
we must develop kindness as a permanent part of our personality and way of life (I can't let kindness slip any more than honesty or morality)
We may hold back from showing kindness because of . . . lingering traces of selfishness (so stop that right now)