I hope most of you reading this are nice people who are polite to others! Most of us want to be, and if we are honest, sometimes we aren’t. Human nature, right?

Unfortunately, all you have to do is spend a little time on social media or watching how we behave in public to realize that our world seems less nice and polite than it used to be. Public attacks, mean comments, side-ways innuendos, and implications pop up continuously. And mean-spirited, selfish behavior quickly shows up in public places. And it gets even worse when we think we are anonymous, coy, or in private situations.

What if I told you that Jesus never called you to be polite and nice? Relieved? Well, don’t be. While it’s true that He never invited us to have nice and polite interactions with others, it’s not because it’s ok to be rude and mean. On the contrary, it’s the exact opposite.

Jesus doesn’t invite us to be “nice” and “polite” because that bar is far too low. Too often, you and I might be nice and polite in public and think we are a good example of what a Christian looks like, and we’d be mistaken!
Jesus calls His Followers to be much more than nice and polite – we are to consistently demonstrate His kindness and goodness whether we are noticed or not. And the Holy Spirit should be transforming you and me into radically kind and good people even when we are anonymous or in private.

It’s easy to work on looking kind and good when we want others to like us and think highly of us and then turn around and be cruel, cunning and hurtful when we are with certain people or groups or don’t think it matters. That’s when our true self emerges. Or, as Paul, the writer of Galatians, might say, the natural fruit of our heart shows up on the branches of our lives.

This week at Journey’s Crossing, we’ll continue our series called “Becoming Who God Made You to Be” and look at two descriptors of the fruit of the Spirit called “kindness” and “goodness.” We’ll discover that these two qualities are often linked through the entire Bible and they are qualities that go way beyond the idea of being a “nice” and “good” person!

Being a nice person who sometimes does good things for others is relatively easy compared to what God wants to do through you. Most of us are skilled at managing our behavior when we are with others because we want to be seen as a good person, but the Jesus way of kindness and goodness is something that shows up, even when no one sees or knows.

Sound challenging and impossible? It is on your own, but it’s easy when you learn to walk with the Spirit and allow Him to change you! That’s why it’s the “fruit” of the Spirit.

The hard part is being humble and honest about where we are and where we need to grow. As we are learning, the fruit of the Spirit is God’s best yardstick on how spiritually mature we are or not.

If you are like me, you still have plenty of growing to do. So why don’t you join me this Sunday morning at Journey’s Crossing in person or online at 9:15 or 11:15? And let’s decide to grow together as God’s Spiritual fruit forms in us even when nobody else is watching.

Wouldn’t that be “nice”? 😂