The Counsel Of Kindness
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
While probably everyone has an idea of what it means to be kind, the
precise definition of kindness might surprise you! Let’s begin by seeing
how the Bible defines this word, as we compare Scripture with
Scripture:
In II Chronicles 10, Rehoboam had just inherited the throne of Israel
upon the death of his father Solomon (9:29-31). When the people asked if he
would ease the financial burden that his father had placed upon them
(10:1-5), Rehoboam “took counsel with the old men that had stood before
Solomon” (v. 6). These elders wisely replied,
“If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever” (v. 7).
“If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever” (v. 7).
Far from a discrepancy, this variation in what these men were heard to
say that day is God’s way of defining kindness. To be kind to a
man means to be a servant to him. This agrees with Webster’s
definition of the word “kind”: “Disposed to do good to others, and to
make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their
wants…,” etc.
How important is kindness? When Rehoboam “forsook the counsel
of the old men” (I Kings 12:8), and determined to be more unkind than his
father ever dreamed of being (vv. 14,15), “Israel rebelled against the
house of David” (v. 19). This was the beginning of the great division in
the twelve tribes of Israel, as Jeroboam led ten of the tribes in revolt
away from the house of David, driving a wedge between the ten tribes of
Israel and the two tribes of Judah (I Kings 12:20-33). In other words,
millions of people were divided for a thousand years—all for
the lack of a little kindness!
In closing, while your lack of kindness is not likely to have
that kind of monumental effect in the world, it will affect
someone. Why not rather decide right now to be Pauline in
practice as well as in doctrine, and “be ye kind one to
another
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