God will Display the Surpassing Riches of His Grace in Kindness Toward us in Christ Jesus

In the ages to come God will display the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, for the riches of God’s grace in kindness are for our enjoyment, and we today enjoy His kindness to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Amen!

Thank the Lord that the kindness and the love to men of our Savior God appeared; somewhat it was hidden before, but it has come to us.

Kindness showed itself and was revealed; the kindness of God was seen and experienced by us. We were saved not out of works of righteousness which we did but according to His mercy; along with God’s kindness, we also have His mercy.

It is by grace that we are saved, through faith, and this is not something of us but of God who shows mercy.

When it comes to our salvation, we need grace; but even more than that, we need God’s mercy, which reaches even further than His grace. His grace is given to us by means of His kindness; God’s attitude in giving us grace is kindness.

How we praise God for His mercy, so great and so profound! Even in our weaknesses and failures, we see how much God’s mercy abounds.

We all can testify that we have “crippled feet” like Mephibosheth, but thank the Lord for His mercy, His grace, and His kindness – we are qualified to sit at His table and feast on Him!

We are crowned with mercy, and His grace is our portion in kindness. We marvel at God’s mercy – it is so far-reaching and so vast!

It is so far-reaching that it reached us and it reached so many sinners, the fallen descendants of Adam, to bring us back to God.

We transgressed against God, we sinned, and we were defiled and lived in unrighteousness; our portion was death, but God reached us in His mercy.

We deserved eternal perdition, but God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us. He reconciled us to Himself; we, His enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.

God’s mercy reached us, even the sinners, and it will ever hold us fast. From this mercy, nothing can cause us to be cast. His mercy is here with us not only at the beginning of our Christian life but even throughout our Christian life.

We are simply vessels of mercy, and He extended His mercy and love toward us in kindness. For His mercy we are so grateful – it is so rich, so plenteous!

We see His mercy in His redemption, and how richly He has favoured us. Without His mercy, how can we be here, how can we be at His table enjoying the riches of Christ with the saints?

Praise God for His mercy and kindness – so inspiring, tender, gentle, dear, and sweet!

In the Ages to Come God will Display the Surpassing Riches of His Grace in Kindness Toward us in Christ Jesus

Eph. 2:7 says, That He might display in the ages to come the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In the ages to come – the ages of the millennium and eternity future – God will display and make an exhibition of the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness.

His grace not only reached us but it came to us in kindness.

This is something that happened and happens to us in time, during our lifetime; even more, it will be a display for eternity for all to see. In eternity and in the next age, God wants to make a display to the whole universe the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us – it’s all in the person of Christ Jesus.

It is in kindness that the grace of God is given to us; by grace we have been saved through faith – and this is not of ourselves but it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8).

David could have just done things with a simple gesture, but He had an attitude of kindness toward Mephibosheth – he even called him by name, with such kindness and favor.

In the same way, God reached us and spoke to us in kindness and with grace.

He did it personally and intimately and carefully; He not only sent people to come and bring us back to Himself and to our possession, but He Himself called us and touched us.

He tenderly, personally, affectionately, and kindly reached us and brought us to Himself to enjoy Him.

And every day, as we touch Him and enjoy Him, we sense His kindness. We are daily enjoying the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

It is in God’s kindness that the grace of God is given to us. The riches of God’s grace in His kindness surpass every limit.

There is not one sinner that cannot be saved unless he rejects the gospel and does not obey the gospel.

Anyone who would turn and repent, the riches of God’s grace in kindness will reach this person, no matter how far he or she has fallen.

This is good news for all sinners.

No matter how far a sinner has run from God and how low he has fallen, even if he rejects God and feels he has been discarded, God’s salvation can reach them, and His grace in kindness will come and save them.

Oh, the riches of God! The riches of God’s grace in His kindness are the riches of God Himself for our enjoyment (Eph. 3:8).

These riches will be publicly displayed for eternity. For eternity and in the age to come the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus will be displayed publicly for all to see.

Although God is strict, majestic, and very great, he didn’t abandon us; rather, he had mercy on us.

His mercy and love caused Him to be kind toward us, that is, to be lenient, good, and benevolent toward us.

In this kindness, He gives us the riches of His grace. God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, saved us so that the riches of His grace would be displayed in us.

The riches of God’s grace are displayed in His kindness in us; His heart is full of love, and His love reaches us in grace with kindness.

In His mercy, He came down to us and entered into us one day so that we may enjoy Him and feast on Him with the saints and with God. Hallelujah!

For eternity, the riches of God’s grace in kindness will be displayed publicly for all to see.

The abounding grace we receive and enjoy every day has surpassing riches; it has many aspects, virtues, and attributes.

He reaches us where we are, He is able to save us, and He infuses us with Himself as grace and love so that we would become a rich exhibition of His grace in kindness.

When we see this, we will simply praise the Lord, for it is not of us or of those who run or fight, but of Him who shows mercy!

Lord, we praise You for making us the object of Your grace in Christ. We open to You today to enjoy the riches of God’s grace in kindness. Fill us with Yourself. Saturate us with the riches of Christ. Keep us open to God’s kindness to enjoy His grace. Amen, Lord, make us part of Your universal public exhibition of the surpassing riches of Your grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus! How we appreciate being under the divine dispensing of all that You are into us to make us a wise exhibition of our God! How we love to enjoy You as grace in kindness day by day! Amen, it is mercy all – immense and free, that You found us, You chose us, You saved us, and You give Yourself to us as grace!

We put on the Inward Parts of Compassion and Kindness, being Kind to one another and Forgiving one Another

Gal. 5:22 lists kindness as one of the fruits of the Spirit. Having put on the new man (Col. 3:10), as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, we need to put on inward parts of compassion and kindness (v. 12).

As believers in Christ, we are members one of another, and we need to put off the old man with his old way of living, and put on the new man with the church life.

Part of the new man is the inward parts of compassion and kindness.

We need to fill ourselves not with hatred or criticism, not with judgment or accusations, but with the inward parts of compassion and kindness toward one another.

In our practice of the one new man life, the Body life, we need to put on the new man by putting on the inward parts of compassion and kindness.

The apostle Paul was a minister of God in kindness, and he charged us to continue in the kindness of God (2 Cor. 6:4, 6; Rom. 11:22).

He said that he is a minister of God in kindness; being kind is a proof, a sign, that Paul was a minister of God.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is kindness; one of the characteristics of the Spirit is kindness.

We need to put on kindness and compassion and exhibit it to one another.

As we enjoy Christ as our life supply and as our joy, our hearts become tender and we appreciate His kindness and love.

If we are tenderhearted, we shall forgive others, even as Christ has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32).

Love is kind (1 Cor. 13:4) and we need to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ also forgave us.

Kindness is absent in the world today; many people don’t even know what it means to be kind.

People are harsh, there is so much hatred, and there is no forgiveness or long-suffering.

But thank the Lord for showing us mercy and bringing us to enjoy grace in kindness; as we enjoy Him, our hearts become tender, and we are kind to others, forgiving them and asking to be forgiven.

May we pursue love; may we learn to forgive one another and ask others to forgive us.

We are easily offended and we easily offend others; this brings in friction and offenses.

If we have offended someone, we need to ask for forgiveness, and if we have been offended, we need to forgive others, even as God in Christ has forgiven us.

May we be touched by the love of God in kindness and may we allow Him to melt our heart and make it tender toward others.

And may we contact this One in our spirit to be filled with Him as love.

The more we contact the Lord and live in spirit, the more we will be kind to others, forgiving them and asking for forgiveness.

We not only experience the kindness of our God but we also become an expression of His kindness, an outlet of His kindness to those around us.

Such a virtue of kindness needs to be recovered in our Christian life today.

May we pursue love, which is kind, and may put on the inward parts of kindness and compassion, so that God would have a way to display the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Lord Jesus, we want to put on inward parts of compassion and kindness. Keep us enjoying You as our life supply and as our joy so that our heart would be tender. May we be tenderhearted to forgive others and seek to be forgiven. Oh Lord, even when we’re offended, may we forgive others, or when we offend others, may we seek to be forgiven. We want to continue in the kindness of God. Recover an attitude of kindness among us today as we enjoy Your love and grace in kindness. Amen, Lord, may we be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another even as God in Christ also forgave us. Cause us to see Your kindness, be moved and touched by it, so that we may live Christ, have His inward parts to show kindness to one another. Do this in us, Lord!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Minoru Chen, and portions from, Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 21 and 48 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization Study of 1 and 2 Samuel (2021 winter training), week 10, entitled, David, Mephibosheth, and the Kindness of God.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Oh, Thy mercy, so inspiring! / Gentle, tender, dear and sweet! / With Thy patience and Thy kindness, / Us in all our need it meets. / It we treasure, it we treasure, / Nothing can with it compete. / Father, we enjoy Thy mercy, / Ever fresh and ever new; / Every morning shed upon us, / It refreshes as the dew. / How we taste it! how we taste it! / Giving Thee the praises due. (Hymns #26)
  – In loving-kindness Jesus came / My soul in mercy to reclaim, / And from the depths of sin and shame / Through grace He lifted me. / From sinking sand He lifted me, / With tender hand He lifted me, / From shades of night to plains of light, / Oh, praise His name, He lifted me! (Hymns #320)
  – O Holy Father, who in tender love / Didst give Thine only Son for us to die, / The while He pleads at Thy right hand above, / We in one Spirit now with faith draw nigh; / And, as we eat this bread and drink this wine, / Plead His once offered sacrifice Divine. / We are not worthy to be called Thy sons, / Nor gather up the fragments of Thy feast; / Yet look on us, Thy sorrowing contrite ones, / On us in Him our Advocate and Priest, / Whose robe is fringed with mercy’s golden bells, / Whose breastplate fathomless compassion tells. (Hymns #44)