Try a Little Kindness

 

Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? --Romans 2:4

One of the first prayers we learn as children is this: "God is great; God is good.  Let us thank Him for our food.  By His hands we are fed; thank you, God, for daily bread."  This simple rhyme stays with you, even if you turn away from God as an adult.  On an episode of Big Bang Theory, Sheldon's mom reminds him of this prayer that he learned long before he became a theoretical physicist and an avowed atheist.  Even though Sheldon professed disbelief in Providence, he remembered saying grace over meals like his mother had taught him.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me," is a phrase found in Psalm 23, verse six to be exact.  This Psalm is recited quite often in funeral services, even if the deceased was not a Christian, or even a very good person.  In the Psalm, David describes the struggle of life--walking through the shadow of death, having no fear in a scary world.  It even describes living among and having discourse with one's enemies, eating and drinking before them.

Christopher Reese wrote this:

No Psalm is more beloved by believers than the 23rd, and none has exercised greater influence in popular culture. Christians frequently look to Psalm 23 for encouragement in the face of trials, and for comfort when encountering death. The Psalm is also frequently quoted or alluded to in modern movies and music. In the movie Titanic, for example, a priest reads it aloud as the ship sinks. Musical groups and artists including U2 (“Love Rescue Me”), Pink Floyd (“Sheep”), and Kanye West (“Jesus Walks”) have all referenced Psalm 23 in their music. These are some of the reasons Psalm 23 is so popular.  (reference cited:  https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2022/04/god-is-our-shepherd-meditate-on-the-23rd-psalm/)

The point I am trying to make is that at the beginning of life and at the end, we try to find goodness.  We crave love, joy and peace, which we discussed last week in our comparison between the nature of God and the fruit of the Spirit that we are encouraged to incorporate into our daily lives.  Today I want to continue in that same vein, focusing on the fruit of the Spirit known as patience, kindness, and goodness.  These are the next three characteristics or virtues found in Galatians 5:22.

Patience or Longsuffering

The Greek word used in Galatians 5:22 translated "patience" or "longsuffering" means endurance, perseverance, constancy, and steadfastness.  It can also mean slowness in avenging wrongs.  This is a description of God's nature, and how He acts in the world.  Exodus 34:6-7 says: 

The Lord passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the 3rd and 4th generation'.

God shows patience to everyone for a time.  He gives everyone an opportunity to repent, to seek forgiveness for our sins, to seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.  When the early Church complained about the hardships they were enduring, some were asking why Jesus didn't come back sooner.  They longed for His return, just as we do today.  2 Peter 3:9 says,  "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."  God is being patient with us, and we should be patient with Him.

Even if we face persecution, God is still good.  The exhortation to be patient in the New Testament most often is given to those who face persecution.  In this world you will have trouble, God said, but hold fast to my word.  Isaiah 30:18 says, "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you.  For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for Him." Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:4-6, 

But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; (emphasis added).

You may be familiar with the phrase, "the patience of Job."  It is a reference to James 5:10-11:

 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.  You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Ephesians 4:1-2 says, "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love."  We forget when Paul wrote some of the most encouraging words in all of Scripture, that he was writing from prison.  Was he bitter? No.  Would I be?  Probably.  That's why we are encouraged to approach life's struggles and hardships with patience.  Colossians 1:10-11 says, "So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him; bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;"

Kindness, or Gentleness (also translated Goodness)

Remember the children's prayer we opened with?  "God is great (all-powerful, ever-present throughout time and space), God is good (gracious and kind, gentle in His dealings with us.)  Nowhere is this more evident than in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Ephesians 2:7 says, "So that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."  Paul writes in Titus 3:4-5 

But when the goodness and loving kindness of our God and Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.

We are His ambassadors.  Therefore we are called to mirror His goodness and kindness to the world. Colossians 3:12-13 says, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

There is a time when God's patience runs out.  We cannot deny God's goodness when people disregard His pleadings and die in their sins.  Romans 11:22 says, "Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness.  Otherwise you too will be cut off."

We see this warning in Romans 3:12: "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."  This is a direct quote from the Psalms.

Psalm 14: 1, 3 "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'  They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one."

Goodness

There is a different Greek word used in Galatians 5:22, the word translated "goodness."  As we have seen, the word translated "kindness" can also mean "goodness" or just "good".  This other word translated "goodness" in our text may be a synonym.  It is used three other times in the New Testament.

Romans 15:14 says, "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another."  Ephesians 5:8-10 says, "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of lights is found all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." 2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good [goodness] and every work of faith by His power." 

Way back in 1977, when I was in high school, singer Glen Campbell released a song written by Curt Sapaugh and Bobby Austin.  This song made it to number 1 on the Country & Western charts, and was in the Top Twenty for all popular music.  It gives a practical interpretation of our Scripture today.  

Try A Little Kindness

… If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say, "You're going the wrong way"

… You've got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

… Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way

… You got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

… You got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness

Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets 

Between birth and death, between life's hardships and joys, while we are living out the struggles of Psalm 23, let's remember to have patience, kindness, and goodness.  These are characteristics of God Himself, and the manifestation of His Spirit through our lives.