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THE HOLY SPIRIT AND KINDNESS

By totalfamilylife.com
Religion & Spirituality kindness
JUN 22, 2014 LISTEN
kindness

In 1863, in Pennsylvania, USA, a young lady gave a thirsty and hungry looking man a glass of milk even though he only asked for water. Many years later, her little act of kindness came back to help save her life and pay her high medical bills because the recipient of the glass of milk was now a doctor and in a position to help save her. He wrote off her bill by stating on her invoice 'paid for in full with a glass of milk'. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, He said, 'Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself; on these two hang all the law and the prophets'. Love is the fulfilment of the law. You cannot walk in love and then fail in relationships. Sometimes, the word 'love' is misunderstood. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 is a description of the God-like nature and the verses teach us how to evaluate our capacity to love.

Kindness is defined as 'being of a good or benevolent nature or disposition; to be considerate or helpful; to be humane'. Before you perform acts of kindness, you need to have the nature of kindness. Being benevolent involves much more than giving of money. Many acts of kindness are intangible and can be expressed through words, touch and being sensitive to other people's feelings. The opposite of kindness is being harsh or hurtful. People are more willing to help when we express gratitude and do not feel taken for granted. Words are powerful and they build our spirits just as food builds the body (Proverbs 18:21). You are a sum total of the words you have heard. When you are kind and caring, you do not wish evil upon others.

However, the kind of attitude, disposition and action that God expects us to demonstrate towards others can never be a product of human ability and cannot be expressed through will power (Galatians 5:16). Determination cannot work when spiritual forces are at work. Kindness is a product of the Holy Spirit and His nature in us and He is the One who births kindness in us. (Galatians 5: 22-23). When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you no longer act according to the dictates of your emotions. The attributes of being filled with the Holy Spirit are compared with being drunk because the results are similar (Ephesians 5: 18; Acts 2:13-15). You need to be submitted to the Holy Spirit to walk in this level of kindness. Spend a lot of time in the presence of the Holy Spirit and draw on His grace and power. Walk in step with Him and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh. If you do not walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit, Satan will make your life one of reaction instead of vision and he will write your daily 'to-do list'. The only way to escape the lust of the flesh and the temptations of Satan is to be constantly filled with the Spirit. Today, receive a new capacity for love and kindness from God.

By Pastor Sam Adeyemi

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