Week 47: How is kindness different from just being nice?

Which fruit of the Spirit comes after “love, joy, peace, patience” (Galatians 5:22)? This week, we’ll look at the spiritual fruit of kindness. Being nice and being kind are a lot alike, but kindness is more than simply being polite and respectful. Are you ready to look into God’s Word to learn what He says about being kind?

Be ready to read the following passages:

Let’s start it.

As a family, come up with words that describe a nice person.

Let’s learn it.

Did you come up with lots of words? We understand the basic difference between being nice and being mean, but what about being kind? Let’s see what the Bible says about kindness. Read Ephesians 4:29-32 and 2 Timothy 2:24, and then add words from those verses to your paper.

Have you ever been encouraging, forgiving, or compassionate by accident? Probably not. Acts of genuine kindness are done on purpose. There’s a great illustration of this in the Old Testament; it’s the true account of how King David went out of his way to be kind. What promise was David asked to make in 1 Samuel 20:12-17?

King Saul’s son Jonathan was next in line for the throne of Israel. He and David were best friends even though God had chosen David to be king. After Saul and Jonathan died in battle, Jonathan’s brother became king of Israel’s Northern Kingdom, and David was anointed king of Judah – Israel’s Southern Kingdom. The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time (2 Sam. 3:1). But when David finally became king over all Israel, he remembered his promise to show kindness to Jonathan’s family. Now let’s read the rest of the story in 2 Samuel 9:1-13.

Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth had been hidden from David. You see, anyone in Saul’s royal line to the throne could have been a threat to David’s reign. No one would have known whether or not David kept his promise to Jonathan. Although he was the king, he went to a lot of trouble to be generous, caring, and compassionate.

If David had acted from his human nature, he might have taken revenge on the house of Saul to protect his kingdom. David’s kindness towards Mephibosheth was the fruit of God’s presence in his life. What do you learn about David in 1 Samuel 16:13?

What other spiritual fruit do you recognize in this story about King David? He and Jonathan had a friendship that was rooted in godly love (1 Samuel 20:17). The fruit of kindness is so much more than just being nice; genuine kindness is done on purpose and is the result of the Holy Spirit giving you sincere love for others.

Let’s discuss it.

  1. Which words or phrases from today’s devotion describe David’s acts of kindness? What other words would you use to describe the things he did?
  2. When did someone go out of his or her way to be kind to you?

Let’s do it.

Although it’s important to be nice, the Holy Spirit prompts us to go a step further – to be kind. Is there someone you find it difficult to be kind to? Ask God to give you sincere love for that person – to see him or her the same way that He does. How can you be thoughtful, caring, or compassionate to that person? Have each family member choose at least one act of kindness to show this week.

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