Tag: mercy

How to Know if You’re Walking in the Spirit Part 5

grape fruits

Kindness

This week we are looking at the fruit of kindness. What is kindness? How does it look, and can a person be kind without sincerity? As I have been writing this series, I’m asking  the Holy Spirit to search me for where I am in walking in the Spirit. We need a good heart check regularly. I recommend you do the same.

The word kindness means “In ancient Greek It means goodness, honesty, goodness of heart, kindness.” “Kindness is selfless, compassionate and merciful.” Websters Dictionary for similar words of kindness: “are compassion, sympathy, generosity, heart, mercy, kindliness, pity, kindhearted.“

Now that we know what kindness means we can see by these definitions how it should look and feel. I think of times when I have experienced kindness from those who truly had heartfelt genuine kindness and I was left feeling a warmth of being cared for. But I have also experienced an act of kindness that was not genuine, and it left me feeling confused thinking, why bother. As with everything we need to look at the results/fruit to decide where it’s really at.

Since we are talking about the fruit of the Spirit let’s look at the Scripture in Galatians 5:22-23 NLT “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. There is no law against these things.” 

I love that the Holy Spirit is working in us producing this kind of fruit. We do have a role in it, since we have a free will, we can override the Spirit and walk in the flesh, but the result makes our situations worse not better. I would prefer my situations to go better than worse. Am I successful every time no but as you walk in the Spirit you learn to listen before you speak, wait before you act. That is a key to walking in the Spirit. James 1:19 “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”

In Galatians it tells us what the fruit of flesh looks like. Galatians NLT 5: 16 “So I say. Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Galatians NLT 5:19 “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20) idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, division, 21) envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

As we look at the list think of the description of each one and as your living your life ask the Holy Spirit when you are walking according to your flesh to help you crucify it. We will always have a choice your free will is given to you by God but he won’t choose for you.

As we think of the word kindness, we can begin to choose to walk in kindness to one another and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit by doing kindness. I say do because kindness is an action coming from a sincere heartfelt motivation. These words show us kindness in action compassion, sympathy, generosity, heart, mercy, kindliness, pity, kindhearted each one of these words relay a sincerity towards others.

What type of fruit are you producing? Walking in the Spirit produces good fruit and kindness is one of them. Purpose in your heart today to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart to work on this area in your life.  

Be a Lighthouse…

Can you imagine being on a large lake and it’s the middle of the night and there is no lighthouse?  How do you assess the distance to shore and how do you see in the storm to land safely?  I imagine that the advantages of a light house to all boats are lifesaving.

According to Google “a Lighthouse is a tower with a bright light at the top, located at an important or dangerous place regarding navigation.”  Also, “the two main purposes of a light house are to serve as a navigational aid and to warn boats of dangerous areas.  It is a traffic sign on the sea.”

How do we become a lighthouse?  The only way I know to be a navigational aid is by being a living example.  People can give a lot of advice but realistically you must be living your advice for others to benefit from it. 

Children learn by what they see their parents do.  You can say all kinds of stuff to your children that sounds great but if you’re not walking in it, they are not learning because they learn by what they see you do.

We too need to be in line with our words.  The bible says “light exposes darkness” but it doesn’t simply happen by words you see light it shines in darkness.

When we are near people who are struggling be a light of comfort and strength.  Be aware that a person who is down doesn’t need to be told to cheer up, they need comfort.  Being comfort by sitting with them or just listening to them with out advice giving.  Just be a listening ear.  Let your compassion shine like a lighthouse.

I recently heard a minister say and I’m paraphrasing “Comfort people who are hurting.  Don’t say just have faith.  When Jesus said to his disciples, ‘he was sorrowful unto death,’ would you say to Jesus just have faith?  No then don’t do it to others especially the hurting.”  This reminds me of the page, ‘When compassion isn’t compassion’ on this website. 

I’ve been in a lot of pain in my low back and right hip muscle, it is so painful I must stop and ice it.  I’m walking with crutches to alleviate pain also.  I need to get stronger and stand straighter to help ease this pain, but the ankle isn’t completely ready to stop hurting and it’s stiff and causing me to limp.

If someone was lecturing me on walking straight it wouldn’t help me.  That’s what Pt is for.  I went up for prayer Sunday because I felt safe to say my back is hurting and the lady’s prayed for me and hugged me and I left feeling invigorated and loved.  For me this is another way of an uplifting lighthouse moment for me.  Jesus is the Light of the World his light will shine through us. We can pray for others in a way which builds them up.

Being the living example of Jesus is being a lighthouse let his light shine through you.

We know a lighthouse also warns of an imminent threat of the boulders and shore that could cause damage to ships.  When we are giving warning, we ought to choose our words wisely.  When we warn we need to choose words with truth seasoned in grace.  The bible instructs us to be merciful.  There are occasions to speak and not to speak.  Being a light house through example is still speaking. 

Once you have Jesus’ light you will be a lighthouse wherever you go.  John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, Saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”    

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Let God’s light shine like a lighthouse through you.

Shine like a lighthouse