“There are many who are righteous, but who are not kind.There are many who are kind, but who are not righteous.”  (Ligon Duncan)

Righteousness and kindness.

Oh what a wonderful combination.

The pharisees were righteous, they obeyed the law with a vigor few of us will ever know. Yet they showed no care or compassion for the people around them. If you weren’t ‘one of them’, they acted like they were superior to you. In the end, they had no love so they were only resounding gongs.

There are others, in their desire to be kind and loving, they refuse to speak up in matters of righteousness in fear of offending people. It is easy to fall in the trap of thinking we can just be kind in our witness without ever speaking of righteousness. Jesus showed us a better way. While He practically cared and healed many people, at the same time Jesus called people to repentance. It is not loving to not warn each other of the deceitfulness of sin. It is not kindness to make someone feel comfortable while they are heading towards destruction.

Joseph is an example of a man who was committed to both honoring God with the way he lived and showing compassion to those in his life. When he found out Mary was pregnant and it appeared Mary had betrayed him, Joseph didn’t seek out revenge. Instead we see him treat Mary with kindness. Despite the hurt he must have been feeling, Joseph was determined to honor God’s law. He was “a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.”  (Matthew 1:19)

Righteousness and kindness. 

It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance and faith in Christ.

May we have a commitment to living in a right way, out of a deep love for the Lord and for each other. 

By God’s grace, may our lives as Christians be characterized by righteousness and kindness so that we can point a lost world to our Savior who is always perfectly kind and just!