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3 Bible Verses About Kindness

I’m continuing my series based on the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

This month I’m focusing on the fruit of kindness. The Bible is filled with examples of people being kind to one another. There is David being kind to his late friend Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth by restoring his family’s land to him and giving him a seat at his banquet table (2 Samuel 9:7). Boaz was kind to Ruth by providing her a safe place to glean grain and giving her extra provision for her and her mother-in-law Naomi, who were both widows at the time (Ruth 2:8-23).

Jesus described what it looks like to love your neighbor and to be kind to them by sharing the parable of the good Samaritan who stopped to help the Jewish man who was left half dead by robbers on the road to Jericho. Although Jews and Samaritans despised each other, the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable bandaged the Jewish man’s wounds, took him to an inn and cared for him and paid the innkeeper to look after the wounded man until the kind Samaritan returned from his trip  (Luke 10:25-35).

What a powerful lesson on being kind even to your enemies!

Kindness is contagious. Ever get inspired by seeing someone hold the door open for a stranger or seeing someone pay a stranger’s bill at the register?

Kindness doesn’t have to cost a thing. A smile, a warm greeting and saying thank you are all great ways to be kind.

Kindness can leave a lasting impression on a person. Think back to when someone visited you when you were ill, shared an encouraging word with you or took time to pray for you. How did that make you feel?

We can sometimes be in such a rush or be so absorbed in our own lives and problems that we forget to be kind to those we encounter throughout our day.

As Christians, we’re called to be kind. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and He can give us the strength and grace to be kind and gentle to those we cross paths with in our busy lives.

Here are a few verses to encourage you as you go about being kind to others:

  • “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
  • “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
  • “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:12-14)

Today is a great day to start being more kind!

What intentional acts of kindness can you perform this week? Is there someone you could call, write or visit? Is there someone you can bless by treating them to a meal, watching their kids or running an errand for them?

I’d love to hear about some of your acts of kindness! Be sure to share them in the comments below. Blessings!

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

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For more encouragement, read my books Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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3 Bible Verses About Patience!


I’m continuing my series based on the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

I have to admit that patience, or forbearance, is still not my favorite Fruit of the Spirit. I’ve gotten much better with waiting on God over the years, but it can still be struggle.

How about you? Are you waiting for a breakthrough in your finances, health, or personal life?

We’re all waiting on God for something, so it’s important how we wait.

I’m grateful for the Holy Spirit’s supernatural patience that helps us as we wait with expectancy for God to move in our lives and to fulfill His promises to us.

In my book Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough I share insights I’ve learned while waiting as well as encouraging Bible verses, actions steps, and reflection questions to help you during your season of waiting.

Here are just 3 Bible verses to help you during your waiting season:

  • “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)
  • “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'” (Psalm 46:10)
  • “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” (Hebrews 6:15)

There’s no short cut to becoming a patient person. It comes with much prayer, surrender to God’s timing, much practice with having patience with people, and with trusting that God is faithful and that He will see you through!

Waiting on God isn’t easy, but it is worth it! Blessings to you as you patiently wait in faith for God to move in your life as He has promised in the Bible and to your heart!

Did this post encourage you? Get my weekly blog posts emailed to you for free by clicking here or the image below. When you sign up, you’ll also get access to the new “7 Journal Writing Prompts to Help You Wait on God Well” PDF as a free gift.

WOGW journal prompts header 1-16-17

For more encouragement, read my books Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Being Emptied to be Filled

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Usually at the end of the year I get bit by the cleaning bug. This is the time of the year when I like to hibernate and take some time to purge and organize around the house.

I’m happy to report that it’s finally time to get to that one room that I’ve ignored for too long. I’m sure you have a closet, room or drawer that you have to force yourself to tackle. C’mon, be honest.

The thing is I finally have a vision for this room. That’s great. But there’s a problem. I can’t move forward with my plans because the room is already crowded with stuff.

Here’s where the lesson comes in…

This messy, disorganized room that is in desperate need of a makeover is exactly how some of us are. I know, ouch. But it’s true.

The Lord has a great plan for us, but how many of us still have “junk” in our lives that we haven’t dealt with? Before the Lord can fill us afresh in some areas, we need to let go of a few things. It’s different for everyone, but here’s a sample list: old grudges, hurts, offenses, secret sins, bad attitudes, etc…

What is the Holy Spirit pointing out to you? Could I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit into that area of your life that is out of control so that you can be healed and filled with God’s love, grace, and mercy?

As we approach a new year, let’s let the Lord do the demolition and construction work He needs to so that He can continue His Divine Design for our lives. After all, we’re all Works in Progress.

I’m reminded of the verse that says that new wine can’t be poured into old wineskins.

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17)

Let’s make room for the Lord in all areas of our lives. It may be a little painful and it will take some time, but in the end you will be amazed at how God can transform you from the inside out!

Did this encourage you? Please hit “like” and don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts e-mailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

button (24)For more encouragement and to learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. You can also find me on YouTube and Pinterest.

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Sweet Surrender

Lessons from the Outdoor Pool

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One of my most favorite things to do when I’m in the water is to simply lean back and float. There is just something so delightful about being able to let go and relax and to feel the water gently taking me wherever it pleases.

On my last trip to Florida, I had the pleasure of swimming in this gorgeous outdoor heated pool overlooking the ocean!  It sure did feel like a bit of paradise to me!  On my final morning there, I was one of only two people in the pool for quite a while so it became my own private oasis. As I floated in the water, I just blocked out everything except for the sun shining over me, the bright blue sky covering me, the palm trees swaying all around me and the warm water carrying me. It’s in those moments that I don’t feel a care in the world. I can just Be Still.

It’s in those moments that I also feel like I’m truly in the palm of God’s hand. I am reminded of what true surrender feels like. As I glided in the water, I kept thinking how important it is for me to be this relaxed in my everyday life!

Does that sound too impossible?  What if we lived every moment as if we truly believed that God is in control?  What if we walked in peace remembering that God is Faithful and He is there with us in good times and bad? What if we could go through our days confident that He knows the way, He knows the next step and His good plan for us will unfold in His perfect timing?

What if we simply leaned back and trusted Him in every circumstance? Wow, I’m taking a deep breathe even as I write this.

The Bible tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Did you catch that? We’re not supposed to fuss around and get frustrated trying to figure everything out. We are to lean on Jesus and trust that He knows what He is doing. I know, it’s easier to say than do but it will help you keep your peace and joy.

So the next time you start feeling nervous, frightened, frustrated or anxious about the situations in your life, try to take a moment and lean back and surrender those thoughts, plans or worries to God. He can handle them!

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