Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Today’s verse is another that I have written about in other devotions, on other themes. Let’s see what this verse tells us about kindness and how we can clothe ourselves with this virtue.
When I previously wrote about this verse, I discussed how we clothe ourselves with each of the virtues listed. Some of us may naturally respond to others with compassion, kindness, or patience, but for others it is a choice they must make. We actively choose to put on these virtues like clothing. They become a consistent way of life that others can see in us.
Kindness, chrestotes in the Greek language, is defined as having a sweet temperament that puts others at ease. It seeks the well-being of others. You can probably think of someone you would describe as having a sweet temperament. Think about what they do that makes you think this of them. For me, I see someone who is gentle with others and at peace. Their peaceful presence and caring compassion is well received by everyone they interact with. I know a few people who I would describe as being kind and sweet tempered.
Even if you don’t view yourself as sweet tempered, it doesn’t mean you can’t respond to others with kindness. You can choose to take thoughts captive that might not be considered kind and can give them to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Then choose to replace those thoughts with love and kindness. It may take some practice until you can actively choose kindness on a daily basis, but with Christ all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Mark 9:23).
Today, take a few extra minutes in prayer to put on the virtue of kindness like clothing. Choose to respond to others with kindness and compassion. And if you find yourself feeling like you aren’t doing a very good job of being kind, stop and pray for the Spirit to fill you and work through you to show kindness to those in need.
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