His Wonderful Kindness

Scripture: Ephesians 1 (Click Link) 6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:6-8 NLT) When I was younger, the kindness of God wasn’t really the first God-quality I tended to think about. I thought about his power, his majesty, his holiness, his purposefulness, and his love, but not so much about his kindness. Paul said that God poured out his wonderful kindness on us, that because he is rich in kindness he purchased our freedom, and that he has literally showered his kindness on us. Paul is every bit as excited about God’s kindness as he is about God’s power! And I am too! I’ve discovered that a lot of people who are powerful are not very kind and it’s really good to know that God isn’t like that. As I get older, I value, admire, and want to exemplify kindness, the kind of kindness God has poured out on us. When I think about kindness, I think about how the strong treat the weak. I think about caring how someone feels. I think about empathy – about putting yourself in someone else’s place and understanding what they’re going through. God could have ignored us, tolerated us, or hated us. But he has been kind to us. He cares about how we feel.

God poured out and showered his kindness on us. Now it’s our turn. Paul said, “…Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32 NLT) Prayer: Father, Thanks for your kindness, your gentleness, and your care and concern for how I’m doing. Thank you that you don’t crush me in my weakness, but instead are kind to me. Help me to allow your kindness to pour out on me and flow through me to the weak, the wounded, and the weary. Amen.