Jeremiah Tipton explains that Christian kindness is self-sacrificial love that mirrors the Holy Spirit's fruit, not just niceness. God extends kindness to the ungrateful and wicked. A timely kind word can break spiritual chains, while harsh responses do the opposite.
Some people think kindness is just being nice, but real kindness is powerful. It forgives, it's generous, it notices pain in others. You're growing in kindness when you give and don't expect anything back, when you lend not for credit, but for the sake of love alone. Luke 6 tells us that God is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked. And the more you become like him, the more that kind of kindness flows from you. You don't respond harshly back like you used to. You hold your tongue, you open your home, you forgive even before they apologize. That's not weakness. That's Holy Spirit transformation. We want to see miracles, prophecy, healing, power. And yes, that's all important. But what about kindness? Don't underestimate it. A kind word at the right moment can break chains. And when you feel compassion rise instead of criticism, that's God at work in you. To learn more about the fruit of the Holy Spirit, get Holy Spirit: God Within You, available right now at EncounterTheSpirit.com.
