Love Is Kind

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4

When Paul wrote that “love is kind,” he wasn’t describing a sentimental feeling but a Spirit-produced reality. Kindness is love in action. It is patience and gentleness expressed toward others—especially when it is undeserved.

The World in the Last Days

Paul warned us in 2 Timothy 3:1–4 that in the last days men would be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers… unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving… brutal… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” We don’t have to look far to see that we are living in these very days. The world is growing darker, more deceitful, and increasingly hostile toward Christ and His Church. Love and kindness are vanishing virtues in a culture consumed with self.

And yet, it is here—right now—that the body of Christ is called to stand out.

Ambassadors of Christ

Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are “ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” Imagine that—the Creator of heaven and earth is pleading with the world through us! His message is simple: I sent My Son to die in your place and pay for your sins. Believe the gospel and be saved.

That message is urgent, and the way we deliver it matters. Our words must be spoken in truth, but they must also be wrapped in kindness. Why? Because “love is kind.”

Kindness in a Brutal World

Kindness may seem like a small thing, but in a world dominated by anger, hatred, and division, kindness shines like a blazing light in the darkness. Every act of kindness—a gentle word, a patient response, a helping hand, a listening ear—becomes a testimony. It may be the very thing God uses to open the heart of someone drowning in bitterness and despair.

Not all of us can preach to the multitudes like Billy Graham, but every one of us can show kindness to the people around us. In doing so, we are not only reflecting Christ’s love, we are actively resisting the spirit of this age.

Staying the Course

The Lord Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13–14). If there has ever been a time when believers must live that out, it is now. The darker the world becomes, the brighter even the smallest light will shine.

So, as the days grow more perilous, let us not be swept up in the hatred and harshness of the age. Instead, let us walk in the Spirit, remembering that true love is always kind.