Kind

Ephesians 2:7 (ESV)

so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Good morning Zebras,

Today’s attribute is kindness, which is a perfect follow up to sovereign.  Knowing that God is kind is absolutely necessary once you realize He is in charge.  At least it was for me, because if God is unkind and in charge then we have reason to be afraid.  You only have to look at the destruction caused by evil men with limited power to understand it would be horribly frightening if God was unkind.  But He isn’t.  God clearly demonstrated His kindness towards us when He sent Christ.

And I think that is where we need to focus.

I could write about God’s kindness towards our family at this particular time.  I could point to the fact that we’re all healthy and Gary has a job, but what happens if one of us falls sick or Gary becomes unemployed?  Does God suddenly become unkind because my circumstances have changed? Of course not, but unfortunately that’s how we think sometimes.

Christians often say “God is good” when things are going their way.  And I understand what they mean.  They are grateful things have worked out like they wanted them to and they are thanking God for His goodness.  But for me, it makes the goodness of God too small because I need to remember God’s goodness is the Cross.  I spent too many years thinking God was unkind because my life was less than ideal. 

This brings me to another point, which I had never really thought about before.  What is the difference between good and kind?  Aren’t they the same thing? Why would they put “good” on one ornament and “kind” on another? Did they run out of attributes?

Fifty-four different Greek words are translated into English as “kind.” Of the approximately 200 verses that contain the word “kind,” only six are from the same Greek word as today’s verse. (The other five, for those who are interested, are Romans 2:4, 11:22; 2 Cor 6:7; Gal 5:22 and Col 3:12) However Galatians 5:22, the list of the Fruit of the Spirit, contains both “good” and “kind.”

So I guess there is a difference, but what is it?
The Louw-Nida Lexicon, which is a dictionary of Greek words, defines them as:
kindness: to provide something beneficial for someone as an act of kindness
goodness: the act of generous giving.

Obviously, God is both.

God gave us Christ for our benefit, and Christ generously gave us His life.

Love,
Jill