Forever: Kindness

Kindness is God’s big love expressed in small ways. 

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Kindness is the opposite of “niceness.” 

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. 
- Ephesians 4:21-25 

”Throw off” 
Apothesthai: Renounce/Stow away

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Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any one has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 
- Colossians 3:12-13 

How can we wear kindness every day?

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1)See people as icebergs

Kindness invites me to reframe what i immediately see.

Behavior is a reflection how people feel inside.

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“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 
- 1 Samuel 16:7 

2)Kindness doesn’t cancel

From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive. Kind words are like honey — sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. - Proverbs 16:23-24 

The 93/7 Principle 

I’ve often regretted being too harsh; I have never regretted being too kind.

Mixer

If you could have a superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

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Daily Devotional Questions

In Pastor Jared’s Thursday 10/29 entry, Dugout Theology, he talks about being ‘addicted to outcomes.’ What is something you have been waiting on (besides the end of the pandemic....)? Are you good at waiting? Can you forge ahead into the unknown without knowing the outcome? How did last week’s message on Patience change the waiting for you?

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Strongest You Questions

1. In Episode 5 (10.29.20), Mike hones in on a superpower that we can all claim: The Power of An Apology. This week, pay attention to Key #1 - the apology addiction. How often are you ‘apologizing for just being a human’? What could you say instead?

2.In Keys #2-4, what stood out the most about you and how you are accustomed to apologizing? How do you feel when someone apologizes to you and does not use any of Mike’s 4 keys? What would your apologies look like if you claimed ownership for your part, and you eliminated the ‘but’?

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Sermon Questions

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4: 21-25; Colossians 3:12-13; 1 Samuel 16:7;
Proverbs 16:23-24

1. This week, Mike describes the fruit of the Spirit, Kindness, as a ‘heart of God’ garment to be worn. He said: ‘Kindness is God’s big love expressed in small ways.’ How has God shown you kindness in these past few months - even when you didn’t deserve it? How do these little messages restore your hope despite the storms? Take a moment as a group and praise God for these little gifts and what He is doing in you.
   
   
2. Tip 1 for wearing Kindness every day is to ‘See People As Icebergs.’ In 1 Samuel 16:7 we learn that God looks beyond what He sees on our outside to the inside. As Christians, we are called to be kind. But how do we extend kindness to the person who, on the surface, makes it difficult to be kind to them? What comes out in us? What stops us from looking at what is really under their surface and saying with our kindness that they have value?

In Tip 2, ‘Kindness Doesn’t Cancel’, Mike shared about the ‘93/7’ global survey - did those percentages surprise you given current events? Which side do you lean toward when you and another person are in conflict? How does Colossians 3:12-13 help us to change a ‘cancel culture’ to a ‘kindness culture’?

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Live it out

Did God bring a current, difficult situation with someone to your mind? Where does He want you to apply kindness and why? Use Proverbs 16:23-24 to craft a plan for resolving that issue. How can you reframe your hurt and your tendency to ‘cancel’ that relationship, and instead use persuasive ways like honey as a gesture of kindness and restoration?

What if someone did this with you? How would you receive it?

And even if the situation doesn’t change immediately, or at all, will you be okay with that? How will you know that you’ve done everything you could and have done it with the right motives?