Kindness is a Virtue

 In the beginning God made the Earth, the Sky, and the Seas, and all the inhabitants thereof and He declared it Good.

Why?  Because it shown with His Glory, was bursting with Life, and filled with His Light. Because it expressed His Nature.  Yes, even Mankind was part of that declaration of Good.  God designed us and all Creation to be filled with His Goodness.

And He created us to be vessels of blessing to each other and to all of Creation.  It doesn’t say so explicitly, but I imagine Adam was kind to Eve and to the creatures in the Garden. He was, no doubt, loving and joyful and peaceful as well—just like his Father. After all, God made it all for him/us—the endless glory of Eden was his eternal inheritance.  All Adam had to do was “tend” it.  It came as a finished product, complete and Good.

Sadly, we know what happened next.  But that gets us to our topic today.   

Without the Fall, we wouldn’t have needed the Bible, I suppose.  Or a Savior, for that matter.  And I am very thankful for both.  One day we will live in a New Heaven and a New Earth with God in our midst.  The perfection in which Adam began will be our Home someday, but even better.  There won’t be any opportunity to mess it up.

We’re just taking the scenic route to get there.

Meanwhile, God is getting us ready to live with Him.  And boy oh boy, does He have His work cut out for Him!

What Paul refers to as our Old Self has some problems.  It is broken, sinful, prone to hurt and be hurt— all a result of the Fall.  It is our (sin) nature in this life.  

But God is working in our hearts.  Christ came to take all of our Sin on Himself—He actually became Sin for our sakes— and we were given a sinless New Self, a new heart, a new spirit, and God’s Spirit (Ezekial 36:26ff)!  All our sins are forgiven, sent to the bottom of the ocean in a strong box with no key.

Then why do we still sin????

Ahhh…that is the process.  The Sanctification of our souls.  This is where abiding in the vine comes in.  We are in a constant  rhythm of putting off the Old Self, and putting on the New Self (Ephesians 4:22ff).  It doesn’t pay to attempt perfecting our souls in our old nature by trying really hard and following rules.  That’s what got us into this mess in the first place!  We just can’t do it on our own.

The Fruit of the Spirit is just exactly that— fruit.  We can’t make it happen.  It’s a product of the Vine.  We are the Branches, and if we stay with the Vine, pretty soon we will have beautiful, ripe fruit hanging from those branches. We just need to be intentional, present to the process, bend our will to God’s—calibrate our breathing and our heartbeat to His.

Kindness and Goodness, like the other fruits, are a result of this process.  It’s not an easy process, and it takes quite a long time—probably the rest of our lives—to be completely transformed.  But there are moments when we will see progress, and it’s exciting.  

When we find ourselves promising to “do better next time” or striving to “try harder”, then we have jumped the track and are back on the track of our own strength.  

When we find ourselves saying things like, “Oh Lord, I can’t believe I said/did that AGAIN! Please forgive me! HELP!” we are on the right track.  He is the only one who can help, and He rejoices when we come directly to Him without trying to clean up first (picture the Prodigal arriving in his rags).  That’s always the first step in the right direction.

The best part of abiding in the Vine is the non-stop communication with Him.  Our thoughts, prayers, words and actions are always right there with Him, and His are with us. We’re listening to His breathing, His beating heart, and He is listening to ours.  When we are that securely attached, we can hear His loving words in our ear.

That’s all fine and dandy, you say, but how do I start abiding in the vine?? 

Go to the Source: ASK GOD.  Sometimes that’s hard to do on our own.  We weren’t meant to do the Christian life alone, after all.  Sometimes the first step in the direction of the Vine is to find a friend or two who will commit to seeking God with you.  Perhaps you will need to find an advisor or spiritual director to give you guidance along the way.  Get with those people and pray together. Ask God how to abide in the Vine.  Scripture tells us to Seek and we will Find.

There are some great books that can also act as guides.  I will list a few at the end.  You could use them with your group.

Spiritual Practices, or Disciplines are helpful because they can put us in a place where it is easier to listen to God, even in our busy lives.  Abiding in the Vine takes time, attention, and intention on our part, love and meeting us where we are on God’s part.  God made us to be human beings, after all.  What we do is important in its context, but being is what God created us for.  As Christians, we are IN CHRIST- in the Vine.  That is our identity.  

From that starting point, we can do many good works that He designed for us from the beginning.  I can't wait to see what He has for us next!

Psalm 145

1I will exalt you, my God and King,

    and praise your name forever and ever.

2 I will praise you every day;

    yes, I will praise you forever.

3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!

    No one can measure his greatness.

4 Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;

    let them proclaim your power.

5 I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor

    and your wonderful miracles.

6 Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;

    I will proclaim your greatness.

7 Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;

    they will sing with joy about your righteousness.

8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate,

    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

9 The Lord is good to everyone.

    He showers compassion on all his creation.

10 All of your works will thank you, Lord,

    and your faithful followers will praise you.

11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;

    they will give examples of your power.

12 They will tell about your mighty deeds

    and about the majesty and glory of your reign.

13 For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

    You rule throughout all generations.

The Lord always keeps his promises;

    he is gracious in all he does.[b]

14 The Lord helps the fallen

    and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

15 The eyes of all look to you in hope;

    you give them their food as they need it.

16 When you open your hand,

    you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in everything he does;

    he is filled with kindness.

18 The Lord is close to all who call on him,

    yes, to all who call on him in truth.

19 He grants the desires of those who fear him;

    he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

20 The Lord protects all those who love him,

    but he destroys the wicked.

21 I will praise the Lord,

    and may everyone on earth bless his holy name

    forever and ever.

BOOKS (all available through christianbook.com and amazon.com)

-Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

-Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland

-Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit by Henri Nouwen

-Flourish by Catherine Hart Weber

-The Kingdom Life: A Practical Theology of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation by Dallas Willard

-Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation by Kenneth Boa

-Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun