DO UNTO OTHERS

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Love is Kind (1 Corinthians 13:4)

  • She washed his car and even vacuumed it….
  • He emptied the dishwasher without being asked….
  • That favorite meal was just what he needed after a tough day at work….
  • That back rub made everything right with the world after a crazy day of cleaning, kids, and everyday chaos of home.

Acts of kindness—-of extending goodwill to others may happen spontaneously or require some forethought and creativity. They usually don’t cost much more than a few minutes and a little energy, and the return of those cost can be amazing! After all, as Paul told us in his description of godly love, “love is kind.” The scripture teaches that, though we are completely unworthy, we believers are recipients of the immeasurable riches of kindness in Jesus Christ, both in this life and for all eternity (Ephesians 2 v 7) Who are we, then, not to extend kindness to our spouse?

We are to show our love for our Lord as well as for our spouse through acts of kindness we extend to him or her. So why do we oftentimes fail to be kind? To extend acts of goodwill towards them? Is it that we don’t want to invest the time and energy? Or that we are too focused on our own needs because we are tired or preoccupied with providing for the family? If we look hard enough, we’ll find that the root problem is usually selfishness. Let’s consider the roadblocks to kindness that we encounter in our heart and in everyday life… and then confess them and call on the Lord to help us love our spouse with His kind love.

LOVE IN ACTION

  • What can I do to help you today? Try starting the day with that and then be sure to come through. Just as God’s kindness can lead us to repentance (Romans 2 v 4) our godly kindness to our spouse can lead to greater intimacy and joy in our marriage.
  • Are your eyes open to your spouse’s acts of thoughtfulness towards you? A warm hug and a heartfelt thank you can fuel the fire of kindness in both of you. Make a conscious effort to acknowledge your spouse’s efforts of helpfulness, gentleness, sympathy, and encouragement.

FOOD4THOUGHT

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

P R A Y E R

Lord God, give me eyes to see when an act of kindness can be a much appreciated act of love, and give me the heart to serve my spouse in that way.