The Spiritual Fruit of Kindness By William E. Richardson But the fruit of the Spirit is ... kindness (Galatians 5:22, NASB). George Hurst wasnt just a racing fan. He made parts used in high-performance cars. While watching the Indianapolis 500 during the late 1960s, Hurst made a decision that would help those in motorsports and beyond. Something happened that Hurst witnessed too often. A car careened out of control and crashed, which often meant the death of the driver. Why? Because it took up to 30 minutes for a rescue team to get the driver from his automobile. Either the torches used by the responders or the vehicle crashing might cause the car to explode. Hurst wanted to reduce the danger element. So he invented a set of tools that someone eventually labeled the Jaws of Life. They worked! Deaths from racing accidents dropped drastically. Other emergency rescue groups purchased the life-saving tools. The man who made his fortune selling gear shifters helped save thousands of people from the jaws of death via the Jaws of Life. Christians have a responsibility to help and rescue others. Its what the spiritual fruit of kindness is all about. Every day, millions of Jesus followers help others in practical ways. We also invest in other peoples lives for eternity by sharing the gospel. Seeing and performing acts of kindness is part of walking according to the Holy Spirits promptings. Sometimes were nudged to swallow our pride, discard personal biases, and go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41). Through the centuries Christians have extended Jesus-kindness to the world. Theyve obeyed His directive to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and the prisoner in His name (Matthew 25:37-40). Jesus-kindness has given us hospitals, hospice ministry, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, orphanages, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Jesus-kindness has gone into dangerous locations around the world to shine the Saviors light in the darkness. Some of Gods servants have given their lives while serving others. For nearly a decade now, a day in February has been promoted as Random Acts of Kindness Day. Thats not a bad idea, but treating others as Jesus did means that for Christians every day is the right day for words and acts of kindness. May you bear abundant fruit of kindness today. — William E. Richardson is senior pastor of Afton (Iowa) Assembly of God and blogs at lights4god.wordpress.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 10:00:00 +0000
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