Kindness, Tenderheartedness, and Forgiveness

Scripture:  Ephesians 4:32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

So many things are going on around us as we are in the midst of a medical, cultural and spiritual pandemic. Some things we can see and identify and some things we cannot see or understand.  There is so much confusion, hatred, darkness and spiritual wickedness in this world – in some homes, jobs, some churches, and wherever we go.  Ephesians 4:32 says “ And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Kindness is derived from the English word “kind” derived from “kinned/kindred”.  Kindness is to be fleshed out or manifested by:

• Desiring one another’s good.  I Timothy 2:1 - I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. 
• Rejoicing in one another’s prosperity and pitying one another’s miseries; Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
• By helping one another’s necessities; I John 3:17-18 - But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
• We are to be motivated to kindness since it is an example of God Himself. Luke 6:35 - But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Tenderhearted relates to having bowels of mercy as it says in  Colossians 3:12.  (Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.)  Philippians 2:4 states “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

We are to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us.  (Matthew 6:12 -  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.)  Christ, our perfect example, was touched with the feelings of our infirmities.  (Hebrews 4:15 - For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.)  We don’t deserve forgiveness, but His forgiveness is an act of grace! (Ephesians 1:7 - In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.)

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for your kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness toward us!  We don’t deserve all that You have done for us.  Help us to follow Your perfect example.  All this I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

(by Marsha Williams)