The kindness of God permeates every aspect of His relationship with us, especially in how He dealt with our old nature. Instead of trying to renovate it – He kindly killed it.
There is no makeover for a corpse. The only way to start a new life is for the old one to end.
So God saved us from the hopeless task of trying to make our old selves acceptable. He killed the old you and gave you a new life. That’s kindness!
It’s the freedom of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
There’s nothing of the old that is helpful in the new. So, instead of endlessly sorting out the old you from an earthly perspective, we’re invited to set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:2-3), where Christ is – so we can share His perspective about the new you in Jesus. That’s kindness!
God sees everything about your life through Christ in you – and from that perspective, the possibilities are endless.
Beloved, sin no longer has a voice in how we live our lives.
The habits of the old man try to give evidence that nothing has changed. But the new you, the true you in Christ is meant to rise up and say, “You’re dead! You’re not allowed to speak to me… because dead people can’t talk!”
“Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.” [Romans 6:14 MSG]
The freedom gained in His victory over sin clears a spacious place allowing us to fully embrace all God’s ways of thinking, speaking and living.
An entirely new life in Christ, complete with new citizenship in heaven that you can access here on earth (Matthew 6:10)…now that’s kindness.
The reality of this new man life is that God has given us so many gifts with it that we want to let go of any old man habits so that we have more room to unwrap, explore and live in the newness of life.
Our expectation is that the most thoughtful gift-giver in all of creation is waiting for us to take Him up on his kind generosity. He already has the perfect gift selected for every single circumstance and upgrade needed.
Our role is to be recipients of His great kindness, learning to live in newness of life…expanding our capacity for His abundance.
Every day for over two decades, I have encountered the kindness of God. Day in…day out…the sheer relentlessness of His kindness has overwhelmed me.
If we are ever to feel overwhelmed, it is meant to be by the kindness and goodness of God.
PS) You can learn more about God’s kindness and your new nature in Jesus in my Letters from God Series. In this two book series, you will be empowered to a dynamic place of relationship with God. Click here to order your set now and enjoy special pricing for this month only.
