But love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35f.
A. Confirmation of Christ
1. The confirmation in doing good.
a.) Our kindness is a confirmation that we are followers of Christ. The world around us sees Christ in our kindness.
b.) When people see you can they see Christ in you?
2. The confirmation in reward.
a.) Eternal life: Christ centered kindness focuses on eternity.
b.) Inheritance: The inheritance that we will receive is literally all that belongs to God.
B. Confirmation of Being a Child
1. Kindness reveals that you are a child of God.
a.) Jesus says that when we live a life that is filled with kindness, we will be called the children of God.
b.) We are given the sacred privilege to be a child of the Most High.
2. Kindness is the behavior of Christ.
a.) Kindness is nothing more that love in action. As a child of God we are to behave like Jesus. This means that we show a Christ-centered kindness to everyone.
b.) There is no greater act of kindness than that of Christ on the cross; dying for an ungrateful world, dying for you and for me. Jesus is our model and if He can give us grace; we can show kindness to others.
Conclusion
Two mechanics, going home one cold night, passed a lame man who had been on the street all day trying, with little success, to sell his poor wares. "Dear me!" said one of them, "how miserable that poor fellow looks. If I had plenty of money, I should like nothing better than to relieve such cases. The first thing I would do would be to get him a good pair of shoes and a comfortable crutch that would make walking less painful for him." In the meantime, his friend had stopped and was talking to the lame man. "Pretty bad walking, neighbor," he said cheerily. "Take my arm and maybe you can get along better. I am going your way; that is, if you will tell me where you live." He did not stop until he had seen the man safe in the little room and had succeeded in kindling a fire. He filled the cracks around the window with paper, and left the poor man by his steaming kettle, cheered and comforted. He did not say anything about his benevolent desires. He had no money, but he had given freely of what he had. He was like Peter, who said to the man who asked for alms, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I unto thee" (Acts 3:6). Too many of us are disposed to be generous with such as we have not.
Three key lessons
1. Kindness makes you more like Christ.
2. Kindness reveals the love of Christ within you.
3. Kindness confirms your faith in Christ.
Kindness can change our world, one person at a time, one step at a time with one act at a time.
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