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The virtues of Christian Character
The importance of being Kind
Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. (Mark Twain)
Kindness is a very precious attribute. Kindness reflects the intrinsic nature of God Himself. Kindness is goodness in action! It clearly demonstrates God’s loyal love and favour toward His people.
Observe, this wonderful characteristic of God is directly related to His divine mercy toward believers. Even today, if God’s loving-kindness was not available, we would all suffer.
Isaiah 54:10, “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you.” Ephesians 2:7, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Grace best represents the idea of God’s kindness or loving-kindness, and because God has been gracious toward you, you must learn to treat all people kindly. And you do this by being considerate and respectful to everyone. In fact, you have to love the unlovable, and be kind to the unthankful and spiteful (Luke 6:35).
In your relationships with those around you, you should be demonstrating your love by tender (kindly) affection, not by cool indifference or routine acceptance. You should prefer to see others honoured rather than yourself. Kindness involves loving people more than they deserve. If you want to lift yourself up, simply lift up someone else! You’ll become conspicuous through your acts of kindness.
So remember, no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. It will keep coming back to you. Wherever there’s another person present there is an opportunity to share kindness. Therefore, with regards to being kind - you must be opportunistic! Seek out situations and circumstances where you can be kind to someone. This is wise and shows maturity. |
Chris Demetriou, 11/05/2010 |
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