The Fruit of the Spirit - Kindness

We are continuing with our series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Jesus said that they will known by our fruit and not by our talents or gifting. Talents and gifting come naturally and though we know we can increase our abilities by working on these gifts and talents, fruit on the other hand, takes a lot of work to produce. Now we know that the fruit of the Spirit is found in

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

So far we have looked at the first four fruits listed in this passage. We looked at love, joy, peace, and longsuffering and have come to realize that none of these fruits can be produced on our own abilities. Only God and our desire to follow Him can produce fruit in our lives.

Today we are going to look at the fruit of kindness. The word kindness is the Greek word,

chrēstŏtēs, khray-stot´-ace; from 5543; usefulness, i.e. mor. excellence (in character or demeanor):—gentleness, good (-ness), kindness.

This means that kindness encompasses excellence in character.

So let’s get started looking at the fruit of kindness.

Colossians 3:12–13 The Living Bible

12 Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. 13 Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

1. The fruit of kindness nurtures forgiveness!

One thing is for sure, God is a God of forgiveness.

Colossians 1:13–14 (MEV)

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

God has forgiven us through Jesus’ sacrifice for us. So when we develop the fruit of kindness in our lives, we live lives that are full of forgiveness. When you and I do not have kindness, we become judgmental and can be very mean. This stops us from forgiving any wrong doing. But when we have the fruit of kindness, forgiveness is a natural by product.

Titus 3:3–6 AMP

3 For we also were once thoughtless and senseless, obstinate and disobedient, deluded and misled; [we too were once] slaves to all sorts of cravings and pleasures, wasting our days in malice and jealousy and envy, hateful (hated, detestable) and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior to man [as man] appeared, 5 He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

2. The fruit of kindness nurtures mercy!

God’s kindness towards us is proof of His mercy towards us. He saved us and gave all of us a new lease on life not because we deserved it but because of His mercy. When we exercise kindness, not human kindness, but the kindness of God in our lives, we automatically become full of mercy. Wouldn’t it be great to show mercy to others the same way God has shown us His mercy? The word mercy means compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

So when we have the fruit of kindness, mercy is a natural by product.

Joel 2:13 The Message

13 Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.

3. The fruit of kindness helps us “put up” with a lot!

Have you ever felt like enough is enough! Life has just dealt the last straw because of what others have done. Well the fruit of kindness gives us the strength to overcome those times. It gives us the strength to forgive and put up with all the junk that could come from other people. People are people and we are people so kindness makes us think first that there are things we do that could cause others to lose it if they aren’t kind. So when we have the fruit of kindness, the ability to stay sweet is a natural by product!

Isaiah 54:10 AMP

10 For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

4. The fruit of kindness nurtures compassion!

One of the great things about God is that He never changes. His kindness won’t ever depart from us and it is because He has compassion on us. When we work on the fruit of kindness in our lives, it gives us God’s compassion for others. We become more concerned with the welfare of others and sharing God’s love with them. It’s all about bringing the Gospel of Jesus to a dying world. When we have the fruit of kindness in our lives, compassion for others is a natural by product.

One last thing I wanted to point out in this passage is how God says that His love and kindness will never depart. Why? Because these are His attributes. When we develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, these fruit become our attributes. That is why Jesus said that we would be known by our fruit. Gifts can be turned off and on but fruit is always evident in our lives and can be detected by everyone. You can’t fake fruit.