The Saving Work of Kindness

xrēstótēs 
​ "useful, profitable") kindness that is also serviceable; ("useful kindness") refers to meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing (fashion).

   The traveler stopped in his tracks, staring.  Pushing his donkey back, he assessed the situation quickly.  The man’s inert body lay there, blood pooling in the dry, dusty road.  His bruises, laying claim to every area of his body, had taken on rich shades of purple and blue.  His dry, parched lips were cracked and lacerated. 
     A conflict of emotions broiled inwardly as the traveler debated his choice.  He could walk away now--others certainly had.  Despised and rejected, abused and mocked by the very man who lay before him, the traveler had every reason to walk on.  But the more he looked at the injured man, the greater the compassion that welled up inside of him.  In an instant he made a choice. 
   Striding quickly over to the man, the traveler led his protesting donkey forward. Reaching into his saddlebags to take out his oil flask and wine skin, he knelt down poured first the cleansing wine and then the soothing oil generously over the wounds. He then quickly tore pieces of cloth from his own tunic to bind the man’s still spilling blood. Finally, taking off his outer tunic, he covered the man's stripped body.  Bracing himself, he gently lifted up the wounded man’s body and laid him over his own donkey.
    They would need a place to sleep.  While alone the traveler may have saved money sleeping outside.  But there was no way this man could survive in the cold desert night air.  Making a decision, the traveler led the donkey the few miles left to the nearest inn. The host greeted him, taking instant stock of the situation. 
     The night was long, and many times the traveler had to get up and care for the moaning man, giving him drinks of water, changing his bandages, checking on his wounds.  Feverish and delirious, it took all his energy to help the man pull through the fever.  The traveler looked wearily for the rising of the sun, anxious for a respite. 
     At daybreak, the fever broke, and the injured man began to sleep the deep and unbroken sleep of one who is healing. Exhausted, the traveler packed up his few belongings.  Stepping out of the dark room, he blinked wearily, his eyes bloodshot and smarting. 
      Looking around, he found the innkeeper. Pulling out his bag of coins, he quickly counted what he had available.  Two days’ worth of work.  It had been enough to last him for eight days of traveling food.  But even this wouldn’t be enough to care for the extensive injuries and extended stay.  There was no other way around it, however. 
    Handing over the money, he gave instructions for the care and healing of the Jewish man.  He gave the innkeeper assurances of further payment for costs that might be incurred before his return.
   As he turned away and walked out of the inn, his stomach empty and protesting, he pulled himself up onto his donkey and turned her home—home to Samaria.            

​Adaption of Luke 10:25-37

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Titus 3:3-8

    What is kindness?  It has always baffled me a bit.  Kindness, goodness…gentleness.  It all seems like kind of the same thing.  To me, kindness seemed like being polite in the grocery checkout line.  Kindness was a hug when a friend was down.
       But kindness is so much more than that.  In fact, I would say now that kindness is a fruit of the Spirit that cannot be lived out without the grace of God through the help of the Holy Spirit. 
       Kindness, according to Strong’s, is a useful fruit of the Spirit that truly takes care of the real needs of others. Kindness meets “real needs, in God’s way, in His timing.” 
       Kindness, as we enter into the Divine nature of God, always calls us to a measure of giving that is more than we feel we have to give.  It asks us to go beyond the simple to the extraordinary, from the natural to the supernatural.  It demands that we give to people what they truly need, even when it isn’t what they want, and to give without being paid back. 
    We used to be difficult to show kindness to.  Our attitudes, our actions, our expressions—all were focused on self-gratification and pleasure.  This overflowed out of our sinful hearts to others, on others, abusing, hurting, and creating schisms in our relationships. 

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Kindness leads to repentance

     ​Praise God, He didn’t leave us in our mess!  God reached to meet our needs when we were still His hostile enemies.  He didn’t wait for us to clean up, shape up, or fix up ourselves.  He knew we had no power or strength to do that without His Spirit. So He joined us in the middle of our mess, and made a way out for us. 
     He poured on the cleansing wine to sanctify and make us holy through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit.  He generously poured on the healing oil to make us whole and complete again through the comforting power of the Holy Spirit.  He covered our shame with His own robe of rightousness:  

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For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good [man/cause] someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom. 5:6-10

     As much, though, as God came down into our mess, God’s kindness was never intended to leave us in our mess.  God’s kindness is intended to bring repentance—a complete change of heart and mind to think like God thinks, to take action like He acts:

​Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you?
​Does this mean nothing to you?
Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
Rom. 2:4 NLT

     If we stay in our sin and refuse to extend kindness to others, but instead rely on our old patterns of selfishness and self-gratification, then we are despising rather than entering into the kindness of God for salvation.  If we simply say to ourselves, “sure, I’d love to have free salvation,” but never repent, we become like the filthy clad man invited to the wedding in Jesus’ parable, who wanted eternal life without repentance and Christ’s righteousness.  If we tear off His tunic and reject His gift of righteousness through His blood, then we are still left in our own shame.
     Before we can enter into the power of the Spirit to change our behavior, we need to first enter into repentance, which includes a life and mindset change to agree with God about our behaviors and our need for a complete change of spirit--a new creation.  Only then can we cooperate with the Spirit’s sanctifying and cleansing power in our lives to enable us to overflow in good works of kindness to others at all times:

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 2 Tim. 2:21 ESV

People without Jesus need kindness

.    Kindness calls us to care for those who don’t deserve our care, or even have purposefully acted in evil ways against us. These attributes of foolishness, disobedience, malice, envy and hate are all great indicators of the need of a person, once in days gone by the very attributes of our own perverted identity, are tell-tale signs of to whom we should extend kindness. 
      It is to these that Christ Jesus calls us to overflow with Divine kindness to meet their needs:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matt. 5:44-48

     It’s likely that we won’t need to search very far to find people that are difficult, that are unkind to us, and that require supernatural grace for us to meet their needs in love and sincerity.  We may not even have to walk outside our homes.  Perhaps during Covid shut-ins, even extending kindness to our family members or extended relatives seemed like an out-of-reach impossibility.  Maybe being kind to other church members who see pandemic responses or political viewpoints differently than we do may seem like a stretch past the reasonable imagination. 
     But Jesus calls us to an extreme:  that, like our Heavenly Father, we actively look for and meet the needs of not just those we like or care for, but anyone down to the most vengeful enemy.  That person that refuses to wear a mask down the aisle.  The man who lied about us to take over our place in the company.  The woman who gossiped about us and caused us to lose precious friendships.  The spouse who refuses to take responsibility for their family. 
     When we feel that people are mistreating us, we should remember that it is precisely those wrong actions that we used to practice in our own past.  Rather than practice avoidance of those people, perhaps we should look at their actions as indications of a need that God would like us to fill. 
     Sometimes, instead of simply walking away, we can pray that God would open our eyes to ways that a particular person may need something that we can care for.  It might be an encouraging note, or a meal.  Maybe they need a bill paid, or a ride.  They could be overwhelmed with homework with their child and might need some tutoring. 
     Above all, they need to hear of the hope and kindness of Jesus to save them from their hurtful cycles of sin and to meet their needs with His own Divine kindness.  

We have an abundance for meeting people’s
true needs with kindness

     I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t usually feel true.  Often I start the day tired and overwhelmed with needs just from my own family and work.  The process of caring for the needs of others we don’t even feel a natural affection for may sound like it extends past our natural resources.  And this is absolutely true.
     The kindness and actions that God calls us to are past our natural resources.  This form of kindness requires us to rely on the all-sufficiency of God to multiply our resources of time, energy, love and finances to fill the needs around us.
    It’s not natural, it’s Divine:  

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As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.
2 Peter 1:3

 
   Let’s ask God today to give us eyes to see the wounded. To deepen our love for others. To multiply our time, energy and resources. To give us opportunities to show kindness to those who need it. 
    Today, let’s pour the wine and oil. Today, let’s bind their wounds.  Today, let’s point them to Jesus’ gift of righteousness.
     Today, let’s overflow. ​