God is kind…His is intentional…
When we intentionally come into an agreement to the internality of our Father in Heaven, His power is released upon our acts of generosity and upon our acts of kindness.
Ephesians 1. NASB
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
In Him
In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him Jesus (God was in Christ Redeeming the world to Himself)
In Him
you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
He bestowed grace upon us in the Beloved.(Jesus)… and He lavished grace upon us according to His kind intention.
What does bestowed grace and lavished grace look like?
I think it looks like this.
But it really looks like this!
Kind intention… flows from His grace, from His nature.
The Point: Kindness is more than a principle. Kindness is an attribute that flows from the very nature and character of God.
God is Love… God is kind.
Bible dictionaries often define kind… by simple words, like: good, gentle, easy, useful and gracious.
Kind Intention…
Kind: being of a good or benevolent nature or disposition; characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings:a benevolent attitude; desiring to help others; charitable; patient, considerate, or helpful; to be kind to another; mild; gentle; loving; affectionate; having an intention to benefit another
They are defined as being kind by what they do: what they say, and how they act.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. (Luke 6:35)
God is Love…
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. (1st Corinthians 13:4)
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Hosea is an amazing study of the goodness and kindness of God.
His previous statements of Israels waywardness leads Him to respond in a way that reveals His mercy and kindness.
“Therefore, behold,
Bring her into the wilderness
And speak kindly to her.
Then
And the valley of Achor (trouble) as a door of hope.
And she will sing there as in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.”
Joseph in spite of his difficulties, experiences the Lord’s kindness…
Here is the repeated phrase that followed Joseph…
But the LORD was with Joseph
The act of kindness expressed to Joseph, was the blessing of extreme Favor upon Joseph‘s life… He found favor where ever he went. Pit, Palace, Prison, to Prime Minister.
Kindness, Loving-kindness was the foundation of all David understood and knew about God.
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
A lot of people are boasting about many things. Jeremiah discovered what to truly boast about.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
that I am the Lord,
Lord’s prayer… Your kingdom come, your will be done, on(in us) earth, as it is in heaven.
Kindness is found in our earth, in our being. We have the fruit of the Spirit… Love, joy, peace, kindness… within us.
Kindness is so important…
Proverbs 3
1My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
The Point:
As believers we should be reflections of the kindness and grace He has bestowed, and lavished upon us.
How?
By practicing being kind and doing acts of intentional kindness; by having kind attitudes and speaking kind words.
We need to have intentionality.
His kind intention is for His world.
We can join His intention by being intentional to reach the people He loves within our sphere of influence.