“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, …” (Gal 5:22).
The word translated kindness, chrēstotēs, denotes gentleness. Beloved, as we grow up in a hostile and competitive world, we tend to develop defensive mechanisms that manifest as aggressive language and attitudes. Rude, blunt and snappy lingo and tones typify our self-preserving behaviour. We can become so accustomed to protecting ourselves that we are always in an attack mode unawares. Whenever we suspect veiled attacks, rightly or wrongly, we defend ourselves by verbally attacking others, consciously or habitually. We may be truly loving, but our ignorance of this problem may sabotage our expression of love. The solution is to ask the Holy Spirit to release the grace of gentleness in and through us. Let’s practice replacing harsh words with kind ones and replacing hurtful comments with helpful compliments. Today and beyond, let the gentle side of your love and life predominate.
Pastor Josh