Last week, as he was preparing for Sunday’s message on 1 Corinthians 13:4, Mark asked us: “how would you define the word ‘kindness’?” I thought: “It’s being nice to people.” So I was served yesterday when Mark helped us understand how the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love makes kindness work in a much more meaningful way:

“Love will dispose us to relate to sinnners with kindness and hearty goodwill.”

Mark did go on to explain that I was partly right: kindness is relating to others with their good in mind. But it is more than that: it is goodwill shown even when being sinned against. Mark pointed us to this quotation from D.A. Carson:

“Love is kind - not merely patient or long-suffering in the face of injury, but quick to pay back with kindness what it received in hurt.”

As Mark explained, no one has shown us what kindness, motivated by genuine love is like better than Jesus Christ. No one has been more sinned against and yet acted with so much mercy and benevolent goodwill towards ill-deserving sinners than He.

Mark also helped us see how no one has shown us what kindness is like more clearly in our daily lives than our moms. Because they are around sinners all day every day (yes, that would be you and me), they are often sinned against, and have so many opportunities to show their kindness every day.

Did you spend time yesterday honoring Mom for how she shows kindess in your house? If not, don’t let the day end without taking time to encourage and thank your Mom for how she has shown kindness to you! She has demonstrated through her actions what Jesus Christ is like.

Categories: Monday Matters, five15 blog