CATCHING THE SPIRIT OF KINDNESS

Galatians 5:22-23; Luke 10:30-35

Today, we are living in a society that is increasingly known for its rudeness rather than its kindness.

Once there was a story of a young man who went to work in the produce section of a supermarket. It was his first day on the job and an older lady approached him, requesting to buy half of the head of a lettuce. He tried to dissuade her, but she persisted. Finally he said, “I’ll have to go back and talk to the manager.”

He walked to the back of the store to the manager, not realizing the woman followed him. When he reached the manager, he said, “There’s some stupid old lady out here who wants to buy half a head of lettuce. What should I tell her?”

Seeing the horrified look on the face of the manger, the boy turned around, saw the woman, and quickly said, “And this nice lady wants to buy the other half. Is that all right?” considerably relieved, the manager said, “That would be fine.”

In a dog-eat-dog culture, we expect people to be unkind. In fact, if a person is trying to be kind, he runs the risk of being misunderstood. People might think, “Why is this person being so nice to us? What’s in it for him?”

However, for people who want to be winners in this life, we must choose to be kind. Why? Because of the fact that God’s honor and blessings will surely follow those who exemplify this character. Jesus Christ himself exalted the Good Samaritan for his kind deeds by telling his story. We will definitely learn the meaning of kindness from this story. But before we study this parable, let’s first examine why we need to practice kindness:

I     THE BASIS OF KINDNESS:

The most basic reason why we must be kind is because God is kind to us.

The Bible clearly declares that God’s kindness is exemplified through Jesus Christ. In relation to unrepentant sinners, God continues to show kindness, even to the point that He being abused. Nevertheless, He persists in it because of His desire to use kindness as a means to draw people to repentance.

We are all commanded in the Bible to use what we do understand as an example for our own behavior. The apostle Paul put it out with authority:

II    THE BEAUTY OF KINDNESS:

Another important reason why we need to show kindness is because our kindness can produce kindness in others. Kindness begets kindness.

Perhaps one of the best illustration of this in the Bible is the kindness shown by king David to Mephibosheth. .

When king David made arrangements for Mephibosheth to enjoy the provisions of palace living, it was kindness related to the kindness of Jonathan shown to him while king Saul was pursuing him. David’s kindness was the offspring of the kindness of others.

Jesus gave us the golden rule in Matthew 7:12:

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

If you are rude and harsh to others, they will reciprocate the same attitude. But we you are kind to them, they will respond the same way to you.

It has been said that there is a chain of kindness that is going around. People who have received acts of kindness will be committed to do acts of kindness to others. In one occasion, a woman helped a young pregnant waitress by giving her an extra $100 with this note:

You don’t owe me a thing; I’ve been there too;
Someone once help me out, the way I’m helping you.
If you really want to pay me back, here’s what you do;
Don’t let the chain of kindness end with you.

III   THE BEHAVIORS OF KINDNESS:

Kindness as an attitude, which must be translated into actions. Going back to the parable of the Good Samaritan, we can find some practical behaviors of kindness.

A. Be Sensitive:

Unlike the priest and the Levite, the Samaritan noticed the need of the helpless man lying on the road. He was open and willing to respond to the need he saw.

Many times being self-absorbed will not allow us to feel the needs and hurts of others. We have to open our eyes, and be sensitive to the need of others around us.

B. Be Sympathetic:

The Samaritan’s sensitivity led to sympathy. He was touched with the deepest feelings possible that moved him to some significant actions.

People appreciate it when we are able to sympathize with them when they are in a crisis. In fact, our presence alone can already be an expression of kindness.

C. Be Sacrificing:

Kindness is often costly, but the Samaritan did not hesitate to do what he needed to do to meet the needs. What was he willing to do?
• He was willing to attend to a stranger
• Put him on his on donkey
• Perhaps he had to rearrange his plans
• He had to spend

Now, you might think, “It costs too much.” But the truth is, it is far more costly not to care. The priest and the Levite lost far more by their neglect than the Samaritan. They lost the opportunity to become better men and good stewards of what God had given them. They could have been a good influence in a bad world, but they chose to be a bad influence. The Samaritan’s kindness had inspired sacrificial ministry all over the world from then until today.

As we close, you might be asking, when should we be kind? God reminds us to pay attention to our opportunities.

Note in the verse, “As we have opportunity.” God provides us with opportunities to show kindness, and we should never delay in responding. Our opportunities may not last until we get around and decide to do something. So choose to be kind at all times.