Luke 13 Lesson

KINDNESS IS A FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Kindness is an important part of being a Christian. 

It is one of the nine virtues known as the Fruit of the Spirit that Paul wrote about in his letter to the Galatians.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT – GALATIANS 5:22-23

1. Love,
2. Joy,
3. Peace,
4. Patience,
5. Kindness,
6. Goodness,
7. Faithfulness,
8. Gentleness,
9. Self-control. 

Kindness is defined as:

• “The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” (source: Google Dictionary)

For today’s lesson, we will look at these three qualities of kindness one at a time.

BEING FRIENDLY

Friendliness is contagious!  

As others see our smiling faces and humble demeanor, they are more inclined to smile and be humble themselves. 

Every interaction with another soul is an opportunity for us to be friendly to them, and that is a fantastic way to spread the Gospel! 

Remember, people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

BEING GENEROUS

Everything that we have belongs to God.  

That is what the Bible teaches, as evidenced by the following three scriptures:

1. “Behold, to the Lord your God belong Heavenand the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.” - Deuteronomy 10:14 ,
2. “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of armies.” - Haggai 2:8 ,
3. Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion, Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.” - 1 Chronicles 29:11 .

If we have something we consider valuable, it is only because of God’s grace! 

With that in mind, who are we to be selfish with God's possessions? 

Who are we to be greedy with what God has blessed us with? 

Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians:

• “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” – Galatians 6:7 .

A few years later, he wrote a similar message to those in Corinth:

• “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” -2 Corinthians 9:6.

The Bible is clear that we are going to reap what we sow. 

As followers of Jesus, we are to give generously of our time and resources, and we are to do it in a kind and cheerful way. 

God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

BEING CONSIDERATE

 In today’s hypercompetitive world, too much focus is placed on what we can do for ourselves.

The world tells us to focus on things such as:

• How much money can we make?
• How many “things” can we possess?
• How many vacations can we take?

These are not at all the things that God wants us to be focused on. 

Instead, He wants our focus to be on two things:

1. Glorifying Him,
2. Serving others (Mathew 22:36-40).

As we work to glorify God and serve others, our focus needs to be less on ourselves and more on them.

Consider the following two scriptures:

1. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:3-4 ,
2. “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.” – 1 Corinthians 10:24 .

These two scriptures perfectly articulate what it means to be a Christian.

Imagine how beautiful the world would be if everyone lived by these Christian values!

THE STARFISH STORY - By Loren Eiseley

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said,
"It made a difference for that one.”

CONCLUSION

Kindness is an essential quality that all Christians need to possess.

It is also part of the Fruit of the Spirit described by Paul in his letter to the Galatians.

Being kind means being:

1. Friendly,
2. Generous,
3. And considerate.

It costs nothing to be kind to others.

And with God’s help, a small act of kindness can accomplish great things for the Lord!

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture taken from the Gospel of Mathew:

• “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ ” – Mathew 25:34-40.