Love’s Attributes 2 Kindness
Love’s Attributes (2)
(#156 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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“Love is Kind!” (1 Corinthians 13:4)
Love is kind, and therefore, Yahweh is kind!
Good; this is kind’s definition. And of “good” we learn of the word “perfection!” This second attribute of love expresses love’s never-ending perfectness. Eventually, at attribute sixteen, we will get a perfectly clear understanding of every attribute of love, but for this attribute, we look into love’s kindness.
Kindness is part of the foundation of love. It acts as a pillar along with the other fifteen attributes. Picture it, as Peter describes its relationship to love in 2 Peter 1:5-7: But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance reverence, to reverence brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
This leaves us with another incorruptible pattern. Anything that attempts to express itself as love, and yet is unkind, is an imposter! The healing from our failures due to our “self” expressions of love comes through repentance. For acting without kindness, pray as such: “Father, forgive me for being unkind and yet claiming to love. It is love in its totality that defines You; and my misuse has only caused pain and confusion.”
This narrow road of repentance will then release the voice of Yahweh within. The still small voice echoes, “Can I teach you how to truly love? Can I teach you how to be like Me, My Son and My Spirit?” Listen closely loved one, if you continually claim to love, and yet remain unkind for even one moment, you have failed at love. Be aware, love accepts no substitutes, and there is no such thing as human love!
I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. (John 13:34-35)