But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.

Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:

Everyone should see how kind you are. Kindness is a fruit produced by your spirit when you are filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a quality of My nature and is akin to mercy. And that is today’s Life Lesson on how to be fruitful: Kindness.

What is kindness? Kindness is an eternal quality that does not rest on demands but understands the other’s weakness, and not only understands it, but makes up for it and bears the other’s burden. It is what I did for you in Jesus. For you were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending your life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when My kindness and love for mankind appeared, I saved you, not on the basis of deeds which you have done in righteousness, but according to My mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit whom I poured out upon you richly through Jesus Christ your Savior, so that being justified by My grace you would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7.

Kindness is not harsh, but does equity, it considers factors that are not only the letter of the law but are the Spirit behind the law. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is My lovingkindness toward those who revere Me. As far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your transgressions from you. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so I have compassion on those who honor Me. For I know how you are formed; I am mindful that you are dust. Psalm 103:11-14.

Esther broke the letter of the law when she approached the throne of the king without being summoned by him, and by the letter of the law she would have been put to death, but in his kindness and love towards her, the king lowered his golden scepter and waived the letter of the law to see what was causing her distress. Esther 5:1-3.

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3. Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each of you to his brother. Zechariah 7:9. For I have told you what is good and what I require of you: To do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with Me in love. Micah 6:8. Imitate Me as My dear children and walk in lovingkindness. Ephesians 5:1.

Let Me show you a parable and a story of kindness from the new and the old Testaments and you will understand. I will begin with the parable of the prodigal son.

A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the inheritance that falls to me.” It is unusual to give an inheritance before the death of the owner thereof but this father was generous with his sons. So he divided his wealth between them. But not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. He made unwise decisions without consulting his father. When he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate. Luke 15:11-24. This was lavish, unmerited favor shown by the father to his son. He saw the son had repented and that all he had done was from weakness. He forgave him and reinstated him as his son. But he went beyond that, he celebrated his son. Celebrated that he had been dead in his sins and trespasses but now he had come to the father, repented, and had received new life. He had been lost but now was found. Kindness is an eternal quality that does not rest on demands but understands the other’s weakness, and not only understands it, but makes up for it and bears the other’s burden.

This parable is really about Me and you. When Adam left Me, he wasted and squandered his great inheritance. And many have done it since, like Esau, for a passing earthly pleasure. But like the father in the parable, I do not rebuke and condemn you. I wait for you to return to Me so I can cleanse you, clothe you with My robe of righteousness and give you dominion authority. In and through Jesus I can give you the lovingkindness I want to give you justly, for Jesus has satisfied My justice, and I make you joint heirs with My Son of all that is Mine. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because He took your condemnation, He bore your burdens, and He lifted them all. Kindness is an eternal quality that does not rest on demands but understands the other’s weakness, and not only understands it, but makes up for it and bears the other’s burden. Kindness does not condone sin, it lifts the other out of it by speaking the truth in love and showing kindness. It is My kindness that attracts people and brings them to repentance. A kind person does not reject a repentant heart.

I treat you with kindness and I expect you to go and do the same. You are chosen by Me and made holy and beloved in Jesus, so you do the same for others by putting on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as I forgave you, so also should you do. Colossians 3:12-13. Be like the father in this parable, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as I in Christ also have forgiven you. The blood of Jesus is enough for Me to forgive all your sins and remember them no more and it should be enough for you to be able to forgive others. For the standard you use is measured back to you.

The next story I shall have you consider has to do with the covenant made between David and Jonathan. Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Samuel 18:3-4. Later Jonathan’s father, King Saul, the first king of Israel, became jealous of David’s popularity with the people as a hero in battle and he tried to kill him. Jonathan tried to stop his father from his jealous rage but could not do so. He therefore warned David and David fled for his life. Jonathan knew David was chosen by Me and was the better man but he just could not break his loyalty to his father and remained with Saul. But his parting words to David as they both wept were to remind David of their covenant before Me and to have David promise him that when I defeated all David’s enemies and made David king that David would not cut off his lovingkindness from the house of Jonathan forever. 1 Samuel 20:13-17. Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’” Then David rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city. 1 Samuel 20:42.

Saul and the army of Israel chased David seeking to kill him for thirteen years, but I kept David free from harm and he was joined by about four hundred fugitives from Saul’s wrath in his exile. But in the midst of some of the darkest days of David’s life, David encouraged himself and those with him with My Word and composed psalms to Me. But the day came when Saul had gone too far away from Me and he no longer could hear from Me and was without direction for battle. On that day, he and the army of Israel he led as their king lost the battle to the Philistines and Saul and his sons fell by the sword, and among the dead was Jonathan. Even though Jonathan knew his father was going against Me, he remained loyal to his father and would not break from him. Jesus warned you about that kind of loyalty. If you side with your parent against Me, you will go with the way of the one you have aligned with. Not because I want you to do so, but because you have shut Me out of your life by giving first place to the ungodly.

And so David became king. But when all his enemies were defeated and he was well established on the throne he remembered the covenant between him and Jonathan that they had made before Me. Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of the death of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled in fear of David. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. David did not know about that son.

David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” This was kindness for Saul had chased David to kill him for thirteen years and Jonathan had sided with his father Saul, but despite that David, though Saul could have killed him (and indeed had every intention to do so) during those years he now wanted to bless the house of Saul for Jonathan’s sake. Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and David said to him, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” David said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?” 2 Samuel 9:1-8.

Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. 2 Samuel 9:9-13.

I have made Covenant with Jesus for I love Him as Myself (Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.). When Jesus left His throne to become a man according to the flesh I called Him My unique and only beloved Son. But Jesus acquired a family for Me, He is the firstborn of many brethren. For as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of Me. John 1:12-13.

What did Jesus say as He redeemed you? “Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.” Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Hebrews 2:13-15. And what did I say? Are there not any believers in Jesus to whom I can show My lovingkindness? Like David about Jonathan’s son, I want all the brethren of Jesus with Me in My house to eat and drink at My table. And Jesus told you that I love you already because you loved Him.

I am looking for the believers in Jesus, that I may show them favor. I want you seated with Me in My house at My table. because of My great love with which I have loved you, even when you were dead in your transgressions, I made you alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised you up with Him, and seated you with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come I might show the surpassing riches of My grace in kindness toward you in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7. And just as I have granted Jesus a kingdom, He invites you to eat and drink at His table in My kingdom, Luke 22:29-30. And I have sent out invitations and have the dinner all prepared so I am very disappointed if you do not come.

I love you. Remember My kindness and go and do the same. Kindness is an eternal quality that does not rest on demands but understands the other’s weakness, and not only understands it, but makes up for it and bears the other’s burden. Pray that you not be put to the test, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Walk in the Spirit and you will stay in the right path.