August 4 Thought for the day...kindness, reaching down to lift others up!

This is not something people necessarily think about every day. Spend 10 minutes on Facebook, and you won't find too much kindness. Mainly because our pride and insecurities get in the way. Let's look at the meaning of kindness.

Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness..."

The Greek word translated "kindness" means to be friendly to others but the idea behind it goes much deeper than that. It infers that if you have power or authority over a person or a situation in a person's life adapt to serve them to help them become who they are called to be. It is the idea of a ruler being especially benevolent toward his subjects.

Paul gives us an excellent example in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might, by all means, save some." Paul is not asking people to adapt to him. Instead, in every situation, he is finding a way to adapt to the Jew, Gentile, every culture, and race so that he might find a way to show them, Jesus.

What hurts us from showing true kindness is our own pride. We want everyone to adapt to us. Kindness is being secure enough in who you are that you see your brother or sister in need and rather than asking them to come up to you, you come to where they are, not compromising Christ in you, but humbling yourself to reach them where they are. To speak to them and act toward them in a manner that they might understand which will enable them to become more Christ-like.

Our flesh hates this! We are saying to our flesh you will not demand your own way, you will reach down to this other person to try to lift them up. You will ask yourself, "Is there a way I can serve this person so that they might see Jesus?"

This is acting like Jesus. Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus left heaven, became a servant, to go to the cross so we might have life eternal.

How can you show kindness today? What people in your life need to see Jesus in you? How can you reach down to where they are to lift them up? Be like Jesus today!