“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to

Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the

Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-24)

The fruit of the Spirit are not emotions. They are qualities determined by how we act,

not how we feel! For example, we may get angry (an emotion) but if we don’t act

unkindly, we can still display the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says “In your anger

do not sin.” (Eph. 4:26) It does not say that anger is sin. It does say we are not to let

our anger (an emotion) cause us to sin (an act).

For review, here is what we examined yesterday concerning kindness and goodness:

Kindness is the Imprint of God upon His Creation

Kindness is defined as “tender concern for others.” Kindness is the genuine desire of a

believer to treat others gently. Where did that inner yearning come from? Let’s allow

the Scriptures to answer that question:

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all

generations.” (Psalm 100:5)

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm

106:1)

“For God so loved the world that he gave...” (John 3:16)

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of

God.” (1 John 3:1)

Josephus, a first-century historian, noted that the believers were so kind that many

people did not know whether their title was “follower of Christ” or “follower of kindness.”

May that also be true of us! Let’s remember God’s loving kindness toward us in

sending His only Son to be a sacrifice for our sin. May God’s kindness “imprint” forever

be stamped on our hearts.

Goodness is the Generosity that flows from a Kind Heart

Goodness is a rare word found only 4 times in the New Testament, and used only once

by Paul. It conveys the idea of generosity toward someone else, a going the second

mile. It has to do with moral and spiritual excellence that flows from a grace-filled heart.

So, the kind goodness of God – poured out in our lives through the sacrifice of Christ –

is the ultimate display of what it means to reflect the glory of God to the world. Listen to

these Scriptural mandates:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do

justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

“Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave

you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those

who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)

Notice how loving kindness and walking humbly are connected to a forgiving spirit and a

desire for moral purity. John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can by all the means

you can in all the places you can at all the times you can to all the people you can as

long as ever you can.” Mark Twain said, "Kindness is the language which the deaf can

hear and the blind can see."

There are hundreds of ways you can show kindness and goodness. You can:

Visit the sick, the elderly, and the lonely

Call the discouraged

Do favors for others

Bear the burdens for others

Encourage the downtrodden

Give to the needy

So, rate yourself today? How kind are you to people in the world? How kind are you to

people who are close to you? What steps will you take today to display kindness and

goodness this week?

Dr. Derek