What is Kindness?

Proverbs 19:22:  "What is desired in a man is [Kindness] and a poor man is better than a liar".

The Hebrew word for kindness here should be translated as chesed.  Literally translated it means "Merciful Loyalty".  What is most desired in a man?  Merciful LOYALTY.

Merciful loyalty is not "niceness".  Loyalty is given, more than it is earned and mercy is NEVER earned but freely given. (I chose to give my friends LOYALTY and mercy forever....the Bible does not mean kindness in this verse.  Check it out yourself.  Kindness is good, kindness is a lesser essential, but loyalty (Lovingkindness - in the Bible) is the MOST important quality in a man.  Many people today demand "kindness" but they have no loyalty to give and sadly they have not received much (from the "friends” around them either). 

King David was loyal to Saul even after Saul tried to kill him.  Loyalty is not loyalty if you ever get to take it back.  Aren't you glad that Jesus and the Father have "lovingkindness" or Merciful LOYALTY towards us without any reservation or ever taking it back?  We have misunderstood "merciful loyalty" (chesed) to mean kindness, and then exchanged it in our minds for "niceness" and now look around!  There are multitudes today who believe it is "alright to disregard the message if the messenger “rubbed you the wrong way" or was not nice”.  TRY THAT WITH YOUR earthly parents and "see how far it gets you". 

We know in "worldly things" (like the workplace) that the philosophy just "doesn't work" (Try it on your boss?) but in the Kingdom "if we can shoot/disqualify the messenger" - then "ignorance is bliss".   God may love you unconditionally, but He IS TRUTH and if you are not standing on the side of the one who IS TRUTH HE IS NOT STANDING WITH you.  He loves you BUT He cannot deny Himself!

Jesus has lovingkindness (chesed) towards us no matter what we do.  He will never change His direction toward us because He chose us.  He will never turn away.  If, we are harming ourselves or others in the Kingdom, He may back up a bit BUT HIS position is always towards us and is always for us (Our best).  The few friends I have are the ones I have chosen.  Not because of what they do right or what they do for me but I have made the choice to offer friendship (Also translated - chesed).  I NEVER change my position of loyalty towards them - NEVER, no matter what they do. IF they are becoming harmful to me or others - I may have to back up slightly for a time, BUT I never never never, turn away from being "toward" them for good. To remove my loyalty once given is NOT TO UNDERSTAND what loyalty means for even Jesus said, "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen You (John 15:14).  Later, in verse 15 of the same Chapter Jesus goes on to say “I have called you friends” (chesed =friends).

Many today have neither really experienced true loyalty, nor have been show how to give it.  Jesus is Jesus because His "merciful kindness is great towards us" (Psalms 117:2).  That is translated also as chesed.  He [Christ] never turns away once He's chosen you and you are the one that asks Him to choose (Romans 10: 9-10).   Jesus is Kind (nice) but that is not the greatest characteristic desired in a man.  It is chesed – merciful loyalty. 

In fact, in the New Testament, chesed is translated/transliterated as “Agape”.  “And the greatest of these is Love (agape) (1 Cor 13:13.)  That is NOT mushy or nice, but primarily merciful loyalty!!!

‏Follow this link to "Chesed" - in the Greek Agape.... (http://www.bible-researcher.com/chesed.html)