The fifth fruit of the Spirit, kindness, reflects God's loving actions toward us. We in turn must learn to bestow kindness on others.

Kindness goes hand-in-hand with love. It is an active expression of love toward God and fellow man, produced through the power of God's Spirit.

Because kindness is love in action, we must galvanize our thoughts into concrete behaviors, including offering encouraging words and performing uplifting deeds.

Both Ruth and Naomi demonstrated covenant loyalty in this marriages long after the death of their spouses. Ruth faithfully continued to serve her mother-in-law.

We desperately need to internalize the godly traits of kindness, mercy, compassion, and tenderness, displacing the carnal traits of bitterness and wrath.

We frequently admonish our children to 'Be nice,' but what does it mean? It is far better to learn kindness, a biblically defined fruit of God's Spirit.

The seemingly benign advice to 'Be Nice' falls short of a truly virtuous approach to life. It is associated with pleasant but superficial behavior.

Showing kindness within friendships will make them all the stronger. Kindness reduces friction; it is the oil that allows our friendships to run their best.

Our hearts may overflow with compassion for someone in need, and it could be in our power to help, but if we take no positive action, what good is it?

We must exercise longsuffering and kindness to all, including to those that have done ill to us. We are disciples of Christ if we love one another.

God's way of life is a way of outgoing concern for the good of others. It is offering a hand to help others to do what they cannot do for themselves.

Without the gift of God's Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand the kind of love which Christ commanded of His disciples.

Showing God's love to our neighbor goes beyond wishing him well but extends to actively doing him good. It means doing what will benefit him.

This well-known parable describes working compassion as contrasted to selfishness. It also clarifies just who is our neighbor.

Love is patient and kind. These are the only two characteristics Paul says love is, defining it positively. What follows is what love does not do.

Mercy is an important dimension of God's character, displayed by our compassion on and forgiveness of those over whom we have power.

When we become fixated on past resentment, we will never find opportunities to display mercy, enabling a repentant brother to move forward.

David took all the persecutions from King Saul, and then later showed his mercy to Saul's extended family, he demonstrated the true essence of godly love.

The Navy SEALs' fear is not of death, but of failing their team, parallel to the bond Jesus Christ desires among His disciples.

As we strive to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect, we should be as merciful as Our Heavenly Father, making mercy our default.

Mercy is a virtue that has gone out of vogue, though it is sometimes admired. Jesus, however, places it among the most vital His followers should possess.

It is easy to fall into the traps of judgmentalism, gossip, and unforgiveness. We must overcome our natural reactions and use forbearance in our relationships.

Driving out the evil must be followed by cultivating goodness and righteousness. An antidote to depression is to get our hearts focused on someone else.

Prior to the Days of Unleavened Bread, we are told to examine ourselves. How can we do that? Here are a few pointers on doing a thorough, honest once over.

We are obligated to show compassion and mercy to all, refraining from gossip, exercising righteous judgment, forgiving others and applying the Golden Rule.

We can sum up the epistle of James with one verse: 'Pure and undefiled religion...is this: to visit orphans and widows..., and to keep oneself unspotted...."

When we attain favor with God, we often find favor with our fellow man, but not always. We can find favor with both God and man if we value a good name.

Good manners are not just an accomplishment, but a duty that everyone must practice in order for society to move smoothly.

Reaping good fruit does not happen immediately. If we feel we are not reaping, we must consider that we might be reaping some negative things we have sown.

We must avoid shallow thinking, developing spiritual depth by meditating upon God's creation, His truth, His Law and His standards of righteousness.

A native practice involves leaving a young man on a remote island with only a bow and arrows until he learns to become a man, and God does something similar.

Because even Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, we must be careful not to assess goodness by surface appearances. God's goodness is our pattern.

Sowing to the Spirit enables us to walk in the Spirit, keeping ourselves from spiritual weariness while keeping an environment of peace and tranquility.

Fear of any kind is never an excuse to break any of God's laws. God wants us to learn the principle of reciprocity- that what we sow we will also reap.

Societal incivility, discourtesy, and in-your-face attitudes (works of the flesh) have manifested themselves in the church of God, but contradict agape.

The truer our conception of Christ, the truer our discernment will be in dealing with spiritual problems or conflicts. Modern Israel has cuddled up to sin.

Church government should reflect God's government, typified as a family, with Christ as the loving husband and the church as the submissive wife.