By: Justin Dillenschneider, Director of Student Life
Week of May 17th, 2022
Begin contemplating kindness by looking at this week’s scripture reading from:
Titus 3:1-7 CSB “Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Kindness can be defined as the quality of being generous, helpful, and caring about other people. This passage draws a sharp distinction between the kind and gentle good works of those who follow Christ and their previous behaviors of slander, fighting, foolishness, and the enslavement to various passions and pleasures. This is the good news of the message of Jesus; we were once far off and enslaved to sin but because of God’s intervention through the person and work of Jesus we can now experience freedom. This freedom changes us from the inside out; from harsh and slanderous to kind and generous. From rebellious to obedient, from deceived to bearers of the truth of God. This complete shift in character and priority sets believers apart from those still lost in sin. God’s love for us and kindness towards us when we were still sinners should motivate and inform our actions to those who are still lost. Is that true of the believers you know? Is it true of you?
We want to encourage you to have a conversation this week about the virtue of kindness.
Consider these discussion prompts together:
- What tempts you to fall into foolishness?
- Where have you seen people fall into hostility? Where are you tempted to do so?
- What are some ways you see Christ correcting foolish or hostile behavior in Scripture?
- How do we see the apostles and the early church modeling and celebrating kindness in their words and actions?
Hymn to Sing Together: Before the Throne of God Above