How Kindness Begins
Friday’s Verse:
From Ephesians 4:32 ESV
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Sometimes this verse feels soothing. Other times it seems unimaginable.
“Be kind.”
“Be tenderhearted.”
“Forgive.”
We know how hard each of those can be. Sometimes pain is still raw. Other times, it’s old but still weighs us down. Sometimes we flat out don’t feel like forgiving.
But take notice of where Paul directs us. He doesn’t say, “Forgive because they deserve it.” Rather, he tells us, “Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Mind. Blown.
God didn’t wait until we earned His forgiveness. He didn’t pardon us after we finally cleaned up our act or proved we were sorry enough. When we were sinners, Christ died for us. On the cross, Jesus bore every cruel word we’ve spoken. Every selfish deed we’ve done. Every rotten thought in our hearts. And there, on that wooden beam, God declared us forgiven.
For Lutherans, that is grace alone. Forgiveness is a gift. We don’t earn it. It’s given to us through Christ alone. In Baptism. In Absolution. In the Lord’s Supper, God continues to place that same forgiveness into our hands and hearts. Again and again, He speaks the words, “Your sins are forgiven.”
When we forgive others, we’re not making it up as we go. We’re simply sharing what we’ve already received. We forgive because we live from a place of forgiveness. We extend mercy because mercy has been extended to us.
And when we fail. When we find it hard to forgive. We go back to the cross. We hear again that our debt has been paid in full. And that knowledge softens hardened hearts. Steads wounded ones. Gives us what we lack on our own.
Dear friends, may find comfort in this. In Christ, you are forgiven. Completely. Totally. Without condition.
That is how kindness begins.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Gracious God, you have forgiven me more times than I can count. Help me to remember each day that my sins are truly taken away. Soften my heart toward others, Lord, and teach me to forgive as you have forgiven me. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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