Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Yesterday I shared a verse from 1 Corinthians pertaining to a characteristic of love that many of us struggle with. It is kindness… As I read through the Bible, I am hopeful because God helps me navigate through the depths of my heart and shows me that it is all about keeping my eyes on Jesus and not on my own ability.

According to this verse today from Galatians, one fruit of the Spirit is kindness. I love how Paul writes this verse; notice the word fruit. Rather than the verse saying ‘fruits’ of the Spirit, Paul wants us to know that it is a package deal. When you walk in the Spirit you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. So as we seek the Spirit of God, we grow good fruit.

There is no man or woman on this planet capable of mustering up true Biblical kindness on their own apart from the Lord. Oh sure we can act nice to one another for a bit, but when we begin to lose our patience that unkind spirit flows right back like the waters of the Niagara and we soon find ourselves going down the same old waterfall.

To have relationships filled with patience and kindness, it doesn’t start with trying harder to be better, it begins with making a conscious decision to walk in the Spirit of God. Walking in the Spirit, as stated in Gal 5:16 means that we are intentional in listening to what God is saying to us every moment of the day and responding to each situation as He would direct us. It doesn’t mean going to a church service on Sunday and living selfishly the rest of the week. It requires that we dive into the deep end of God’s word and swim around daily until you have made it such a part of your life that gratifying your sinful desires is as foreign to you as learning a new language.

It is possible for the Christian to grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians tells us to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving, to take those qualities of one who walks in the Spirit a little bit farther. Not only the do’s, but a lot of the do not’s as well… And right in the middle of it all Paul tells us to not grieve the Holy Spirit in our life. (Eph 4:29-31)

When we act unkind to the people we encounter, we grieve the heart of God. Bitterness, anger, filthy speech, unkindness, and the like are all byproducts of waking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. All born again believer’s possess the power to walk in the Spirit. (Eph 1:13; 2Cor1:21-22) It isn’t something that is for the special or super Christians, it is for you and for me. In order to hear the Spirit, we need to be tuned into the right frequency. That is where reading the Word and prayer come into play. Walking in the Spirit means that our life is tuned into the things of God and we spend time daily listening to Him.

I encourage you today to begin walking in the Spirit as to not gratify the desires of your flesh. In this case, unkindness. Walking through this life can be tough at times, so let’s make things just a bit easier on ourselves and those around us and sow seeds of kindness toward one another and reap a bountiful harvest rather than tearing down one another and reaping the detriments.

Here are some practical ways we can start showing kindness as we walk in the Spirit of God…

• Speak words of encouragement
• Listen intently and patiently
• Forgive one another quickly
• Love without conditions
• Do something out of the norm to show appreciation
• Give of yourself
• Put the needs of others before your own

Blessings to you as you walk in the Spirit of kindness toward those you encounter today.