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Approved by the local outreach coordinator of the office of Spiritual Life on August 8, 2024.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
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Have you ever found yourself in a drive-thru line and involved in a "pay it forward" experiment? This occurs when your order is paid for by the person in front of you, and you subsequently pay for the person behind you. Perhaps the person in front of you felt really touched and encouraged you to continue the chain, or maybe you felt pressured to do so.
Being generous is just being kind. The act of kindness is never performed with the expectation of reciprocation by the one showing it.
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One of the fruits of the spirit we’ve been talking about is kindness, and one of the ways kindness is understood is through the idea of brotherly love. If you have a sibling, then you probably know what it feels like to love someone through all their flaws and in all stages of life. True kindness is like brotherly love because it’s more than just being nice. Kindness is a sense of responsibility and a duty. It doesn’t come from thinking someone deserves it; it comes from an overflow of Christ. Kindness is an intentional lifestyle and mindset of seeking to do what Jesus would do.
In verse 8, Micah reassures the people that the Lord has already told the people what is good and what they should do to honor and obey him. The following is the list Micah shares:
Justice is about what is right and making things right. God is perfectly just. We cannot be perfectly just because we are not God. However, we can act justly by submitting to God’s instructions and living with integrity. When we live this way, we’re intentionally seeking to honor God and others, and that is what real kindness is all about.
Mercy is when a deserved consequence isn’t given. God showered his mercy on us by sending Jesus to the cross for the punishment we deserve. Because we’ve been shown mercy, it’s our honor to show mercy to others. With the love and help of the holy spirit, we can extend kindness through our acts of mercy.
When we go on a walk with someone, our relationship with them normally grows deeper as we talk and connect. The best walk we’ll ever go on in this life is our continual walk with God. Take a step back to recognize that the God of the universe wants to walk with you daily because he loves you — let that humble you. Let that keep your heart in a place of gratitude so you can show kindness to others out of the abundant kindness of Christ.
Keeping in step with the spirit means we’ll begin to lead lives that implement these practices. Allowing the fruit of kindness to be cultivated within us by spending time with Jesus daily will compel us to act justly, love mercifully and walk humbly.
Grand Canyon University is dedicated to helping all the members of the GCU community learn more about God’s Word. To learn more, view our Christian identity and mission. To explore more about spiritual life at GCU, browse through our other weekly devotionals.
Kindness shouldn’t be determined by our circumstances. Being kind to those who love us isn't exercising any untoned muscle, but to extend it to someone who isn’t as loving is the true test. Someone must break the chain of cruelty and, as representatives of Christ, we’re called to be that person. As his ambassadors, we’re to share the good news with those who don’t know him. The best way to do this is to exercise the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) and show them the real Christ because they will know him by our love (John 13:35).
True kindness doesn’t put on a show, because in the greater scheme, it isn’t about us or how good we are. The reason to choose kindness should never be to receive a reward. If you think of it, you could be that person stuck paying for multiple coffee beverages when the person in front of you only paid for one — yours! If you immediately regret offering to pay when you find out how much that final bill is, your intentions might not have been as pure as you thought they were. Here is something to practice: Ask yourself how you’re going to practice kindness today. Be watchful of opportunities to be kind and show the love of Jesus.
Let’s face it, forgiveness is hard. We’re not promised an easy walk of faith. We are, however, assured we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). “All things” includes forgiving those who’ve hurt us, those who aren’t remotely sorry for their behaviors, and even those who repeatedly offend us (Matthew 18:21–22).
Forgiveness is a command, yet a hard truth to swallow. We forgive because God, through Christ Jesus, forgave us of all our wickedness and rebellion. His blood and resurrection wash us clean. Therefore, we extend forgiveness to others from a place of massive gratitude. Remember, God is not asking us to do anything he’s not willing to do himself.
An additional practice: Grab a journal and write Hebrews 12:14-15 on the top of the page. Then spend time recording all the ways Jesus has extended forgiveness toward you.
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