Morning Devotional

November 30, 2004
"The Nature of Love (Part 2)"

by Don Emmitte

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If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT).

The second characteristic of love is kindness. I had to do a little research on the “kind” characteristic of love. Coming from the Greek word Chrestotes it conveys the idea of a moral goodness that enables a person to be friendly and “kind” toward others. God's own kindness is displayed which enables Him to act as a friend even to those who are His enemies. Christ demonstrated this kind of “kindness” in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

However, it goes farther than that. Mamie Adams always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait on line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. “I know,” said Mamie, ‘but the machine won’t ask me about my arthritis.”¹ People long for these simple gestures of kindness in our world.

Kindness is not a characteristic that is necessarily learned. We can train our children to be “kind”, but it doesn’t have quite the same deep meaning as this usage of the word. We can teach our children social graces. I have sought to teach my sons some of these things, such as to open the door for a lady when she enters with you, or to seat her at the table prior to you taking your seat. These are things that a gentleman will do. And, while this is good for social occasions, it will not express the kindness God is seeking from His people. To be kind in the Biblical sense, like when describing God, goes beyond civil niceties or learned manners.

No, the kindnesses that love displays are rooted deep within the heart. It is more an expression of who you are in Christ that will allow you to properly display His character. Kindness experiences no barriers. Nothing can stop kindness from being displayed, not race or color or heritage. The kindness of God is available to all who encounter the one who truly knows how to love. Commit yourself to be “kind” to one another as we express God’s love to the world, even if we have to display it to those who would normally be less than loveable.

1.       Bits and Pieces, December, 1989, p. 2