06.22.22 | The Fruit of Kindness
In Galatians 5, Paul encourages the church of Galatia to walk in the Spirit –something we all desire to do as followers of Jesus, as we commit to practicing his way. In verses 22-23, Paul then specifies that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
This week, we will be focusing on the fruit of kindness as we continue through the four steps of FAST:
- Focus: Find a quiet place to settle your mind and open yourself to the Holy Spirit’s presence.
- Adoration: Spend time honoring and exalting God, tell him what you appreciate about him. Contemplate on who he is and what he has done. You might even be able to get a sense of his presence with you.
- Speak: Commune with God, taking moments to both speak to him about what’s on your heart and to pause and listen for his voice. Use journals to write down what you hear him say. Ask simple follow up questions like, “is there anything else you’d like me to know about [fill in the topic]” to really get to the heart of what Jesus wants to communicate to you and what you want to say to him or plead for while you fast.
- Transform: Commit to taking active steps to change or address what the Lord revealed during your time of fasting.
During the third step, Speak, ask God what he wants you to know about his kindness. Ask him to remind you of times when he has been kind to you. Consider what that looked and felt like.
In Ephesians 4:32 Paul describes one way to be kind, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
In your time of reflection, ask God:
- In what areas do I long for Christ’s forgiveness today? And then ask to receive his forgiveness.
- Who are the people that God is calling you to extend forgiveness to as a sign of his kindness?
- In what specific ways does someone you know need to experience God’s kindness?
During the last step, Transform, spend time with the Spirit, focusing on finding ways to be kind to people. Prayerfully consider who in your life God is calling you to show kindness to. Once you have determined what action steps the Lord is calling you to, commit to following through this week.
Additionally, we encourage you to confess your sins to a brother or sister in your community who can then extend God’s forgiveness and kindness to you. It’s important to not only give of his kindness, but position yourself to also receive and be open to God’s kindness.