In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

You have probably heard of the term “servant evangelism.” The term itself is not in the Bible, but the idea is there. Servant evangelism is simply showing the love of God through our own caring and loving actions toward others. Sometimes it’s the person to whom we show kindness to that is blessed—and sometimes they even turn to Jesus. The biblical model, however is that other people see our loving actions toward someone else, and in turn ‘glorify your Father in heaven’.

Jesus carried this one step further when He told us that the way we show His kind of love is by how we treat each other (within the family of God) “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). That “one-another” means people within your own group—within your circle. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with outreach, but that’s not what He’s referring to here.

Sometimes it’s the simplest acts of kindness that have the biggest impacts and the most lasting effects. In Matthew 10:39ff, Jesus shares His famous words about sharing a cup of water. And in context, He’s talking about something much bigger: He’s giving an example about what “losing (our) life for my sake” is all about. Usually, it has nothing to do with martyrdom…and a lot more to do with the trivial “cup of water” instances.

And that’s important, because love is generally shown in the little things, the insignificant. And the opposite is also true: We show our own lack of love when we neglect the ‘cup of water’. Humility and pride, too, fall into this category.

Of course, Jesus isn’t speaking of just sharing a drink with someone. He’s talking about sharing ourselves; living a Christian life; a life full of relationships, both with God and with our people. He’s talking about the humble act of giving a piece of ourselves to others. He’s talking about sharing in practical ways and not just in abstract sensitivities or gargantuan sacrifices. It’s this type of service that typifies “Kindness”.