{"id":43,"date":"2014-09-04T21:21:33","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T21:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marriagehotline911.com\/wordpress\/?p=43"},"modified":"2014-09-04T21:21:33","modified_gmt":"2014-09-04T21:21:33","slug":"a-fruitful-marriage-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marriagehotline911.com\/wordpress\/2014\/09\/a-fruitful-marriage-kindness\/","title":{"rendered":"A FRUITFUL MARRIAGE\u2013 KINDNESS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,\u00a0gentleness and self-control.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong>~\u00a0<\/em>Galatians 5:22 NIV<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

A FRUITFUL MARRIAGE\u2013 KINDNESS<\/p>\n

As Christians, all of us have the Holy Spirit of Christ living in us and His power available to us. If we are fully surrendered to Him, there should be evidence of it, and\u00a0one of the most obvious signs is the presence of the fruit of the Spirit.<\/strong>\u00a0Last month, we talked about the fruit of\u00a0PATIENCE<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>being evident in our marriages. This month we\u2019re looking at\u00a0KINDNESS<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Kindness is more than being polite, or nice\u2013 it\u2019s going out of your way to grant favor, help, or bless someone. The Bible has a lot to say about kindness.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Romans 11:22<\/a>\u2013 we are called to\u00a0continue in His kindness.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Titus 3:4-5<\/a>\u00a0But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us\u2026<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Colossians 3:12<\/a>\u00a0Therefore, as God\u2019s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.\u00a0<\/em>(Sounds a bit like the Fruits of the Spirit!)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I like the idea of being \u201ctenderhearted\u201d in the New Living Translation:\u00a0Ephesians 4:32<\/a>\u00a0Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.<\/em><\/p>\n

And ladies,\u00a0Titus 2:5<\/a>\u00a0calls us to kindness right before submission to our husbands, and we are told to act this way so we won\u2019t give God a bad name!.\u00a0\u2026be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.<\/em><\/p>\n

Showing Kindness to Your Spouse<\/h3>\n

We all know what kindness is. How do we show it to our spouses? I think showing kindness might be like speaking their love language, different for each person. You can always ASK what\u2019s a good way, but sometimes spouses (okay, WIVES)\u00a0feel like if she has to tell you, it doesn\u2019t count! Here are some practical ideas. Try them and take note of the response! (Thanks to my\u00a0Facebook friends sharing how their spouses show kindness to them.)<\/p>\n

From the male perspective\u2013<\/span><\/h4>\n