Amanda BethSharing the Truths Behind the TRUTH

Feb 7th Monday’s Blog: Love Is KIND

We are on our second week of studying what love is according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Last week we talked about patience. This week we move on to kindness. Kindness does not come without mercy. As God displays His kindness toward us out of His great mercy, we need to be merciful in order to be kind to others. If we don’t continually receive God’s mercy for ourselves, our hearts will not be merciful to others. We can’t convey true kindness without a merciful heart.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

We can’t put something on that we don’t know we have. If we don’t believe we are made holy by Jesus, and God loves us unconditionally, we won’t be able to put on any characteristic of love. If we always think God is disappointed in us, we won’t be able to move forward in allowing Him to work in us. We may show acts of kindness toward others, but we won’t be able to truly feel mercy for them when we’re not being merciful with ourselves.

We should view ourselves through God’s eyes. When God looks at us, He sees HIS perfection in us. He sees what His power working in us can accomplish.

Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” And Psalm 138:8 says, “The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands” (NASB).

If God sees us as patient, kind, and loving already, it should encourage and motivate us to live up to that. We often think about what wretched sinners we are, when we should be thinking that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

When I think about how bad I am, I find myself falling into sin because I’m so down on myself that I am easily led astray. I unconsciously live up to what I think about myself. I am a sinner so I live up to that.

But when I see myself as God sees me, I want to live up to that. It motivates me to live a holy life because I don’t have that constant disappointment of failure.

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”

Galatians 5:13

We don’t ever have to worry if we are doing enough to please God. God has set us free because of His great mercy and love for us, so we can be merciful and love others.

Does this mean we should never feel sorrow for our sins? No, we are to confess and repent when we purposely do something wrong (1 John 1:9). But when God is working with us in an area, we don’t need to beat ourselves up every time we fall.

When my kids were babies learning how to walk, I didn’t yell at them every time they fell. I lifted them up and encouraged them to continue trying. God works with us the same. He doesn’t get mad when we fall. He lifts us up and encourages us to continue walking with Him.

“Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.”

Psalm 37:24 (AMP)

Take a look at the woman in Luke 7:37-38 who wet Jesus’ feet with her tears because of her sinful life:

“When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”

In verse 50, Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The Bible doesn’t say this woman continued crying at His feet over her sins, nor did it say she returned to Him in tears every time she slipped up after. She went away in peace that day knowing she was completely forgiven for her past, present, and future sins.

“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Luke 7:47

Once we begin to grasp how much we have been forgiven for, we will be able to love others. Once we realize how many times we have offended God and turned our hearts away from Him, we will have no excuse but to be merciful toward others.

Our world needs to see genuine, merciful kindness. There are not many people who are truly merciful. You can’t dare make one mistake or people cut you off and turn their backs on you. Even worse, when you do what is right, people despise you more because your loving-kindness convicts them of their wrong doings. You can’t win with people.

Thank God He doesn’t treat us that way. Isaiah 30:18 says, “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion….” God is always merciful and kind to us. We should follow His example by being merciful and kind to everyone, including ourselves.

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**Something to think about this week**

Let’s not wait for anyone to be kind to us. Let’s go out and show people God’s mercy and loving-kindness. We can carry this verse to remind us that we’ve been forgiven so that our hearts can be merciful to others.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

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**Come back next Monday as I share more of God’s Truths and the reasons behind the Truths.

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All Bible verses are taken from the NIV, unless otherwise noted.