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New Testament Stories on Being Kind

Here are some New Testament stories on being kind:

Luke 1:39-45 :: Elizabeth was kind to Mary 

Acts 16:22-34 ::  Paul and Silas showed extreme kindness when they were in the jail in Philippi and the earthquake released them from jail. Instead of fleeing for their lives, they stayed and saw to it that the jailor received Christ.

Acts 9:36-43 :: Tabitha made clothes for the widows

Luke 10:30-36 :: The Good Samaritan

Luke 15:11-22 :: The Prodigal Son

Matt. 25:35-40,45 :: When we are kind to the least of these, we are being kind to Jesus

Mark 8:2-3 :: Jesus feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000  

Matt 19:13-15 :: Jesus receiving and blessing the children

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Old Testament Stories on Being Kind

Old Testament Stories on being kind:

Ruth 1:14 :: Ruth’s kindness to Naomi came back to her when Boaz showed kindness (and love) to Ruth

1Kings 17:8,9 :: “The widow in Zarephath fed Elijah during a famine. Not only did she and her son live, but sometime later when her son became sick and died, Elijah raised him from the dead! So her kindness paid off.” ~ Kenneth Hagin

Gen. 24:15-19 :: Rebekah’s act of kindness to Abraham’s servant when he asked for a drink, she volunteered to water his camels as well

Joshua 2:1-21 :: Rahab’s kindness to the two spies

2 Samuel 9:1-13 :: Kindness to Mephibosheth

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Kindness: Pharoah’s Daughter and Moses

When Pharoah’s daughter found Moses, she no doubt knew her father’s edict to kill all Hebrew babies, however, when she saw him, she had compassion on him and demonstrated extreme kindness toward him in sparing his life and, probably, risked her own life in order to care for him.

Exodus 2:1-10

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

8 “Yes, go,” she answered. And the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”

NIV

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12 Books on Kindness

Brother Reading a BookBook summaries originally from Amazon web page. We Choose Virtues has not personally read all of these books.  

Kindness Counts

By Debby Anderson

Through colorful illustrations, Scripture references, and interactive exercises, Kindness Counts! helps children learn basic math skills while teaching them the importance of kindness. They will learn that God loves them and wants them to spread his kindness and love to others, and they will see that even the smallest acts of kindness matter.

Be Polite and Kind (Learning to Get Along)

By Cheri J. Meiners

When children are kind, courteous, and respectful, people enjoy being around them and reciprocate with the same behavior. This book helps kids understand the importance of showing politeness, speaking kindly, using basic courtesies (“please,” “thank you,” “excuse me”), and respecting the feelings of others.

How Full Is Your Bucket?

By Tom Rath

Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket — already familiar to thousands of people — How Full is Your Bucket? shows how even the smallest interactions we have with others every day profoundly affect our relationships, productivity, health, and longevity.

Being Kind Pb (Growing Up)

By Janine Amos

Provides examples and tips for being kind to someone who seems worried or alone.

Kids’ Random Acts of Kindness 

Published by Conari Press

An inspirational collection of heartwarming stories from kids of all ages

The Berenstain Bears: Kindness Counts (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)

By Jan Berenstain

Brother Bear loves everything to do with model airplanes, whether it’s building, fixing, or flying them. But when he shares one of his prized planes with a younger cub will his kindness be returned?

The Kindness Quilt

By Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

Minna puts a lot of thought into her Kindness Project for school, and, when she starts writing, drawing, and cutting, a brilliant idea takes shape and spreads throughout the whole school!

Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler

By Margery Cuyler

Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler is about a teacher that gets upset about her students being mean to one another and gives them an assignment to go home and be kind. The next day during show and tell Mrs. Ruler asks her students to tell the class how they were kind. Mrs. Ruler then wants the kids to be kind in school, and then in their communities. I love the concept of the book and it has a great message, but the book tended to drag on forever. It seemed as though the author tried to pack so much information into one book, and it was an overload. I almost read this book during an observation, and I’m glad I didn’t.

A Little Book of Manners: Courtesy & Kindness for Young Ladies

By Emilie Barnes

Following in the footsteps of the popular Let’s Have a Tea Party! Book, Emilie Barnes introduces children to good manners. Fascinating facts explain why we follow certain rules, and helpful hints demonstrate courtesy in a child-friendly way.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

By Carol McCloud

Through sweet, simple prose and vivid illustrations, this heartwarming book encourages positive behavior as children see how very easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation and love on a daily basis. This wonderful book is a winner of seven awards.

The Kindness of Children

By Vivian Gussin Paley

Visiting a London nursery school, Vivian Paley observes the schoolchildren’s reception of another visitor, a handicapped boy named Teddy, who is strapped into a wheelchair, wearing a helmet, and barely able to speak. A predicament arises, and the children’s response–simple and immediate–offers Paley the purest evidence of kindness she has ever seen.

Tale of the Poisonous Yuck Bugs: Based on Proverbs 12:18

By Aaron Reynolds

Sometimes thoughtless words just slip out…Children can understand God’s plan for our spoken words when they see how a pair of name-callers almost learn their lesson the hard way.

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Kindness Quotes

“Kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.”

 :: Joseph Joubert

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”  

::Leo Buscaglia

“Kindness is the attitude – Gentleness is the action behind the attitude.”

:: Joyce Meyer

“Even when you are angry, remember to be kind.”

:: Habakkuk 3:2  NCV

 “Kindness is love in the little things.”

:: Adrian Rogers

 “Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you – not because they are nice, but because you are.”

:: Author Unknown

 “Be kinder than necessary- Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”

:: Plato

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.”

:: Mother Teresa

 “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”

:: Henry James

 “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

:: Mother Teresa

 “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

:: Mark Twain

 “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”

:: Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”

:: Kahlil Gibran

 “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

:: Aesop

 “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.”

:: Kahlil Gibran, The Essential Kahlil Gibran

 “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

:: Leo F. Buscaglia

 “Be kind to unkind people – they need it the most”

:: Ashleigh Brilliant

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

:: Scott Adams quotes

“Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is anything that lifts another person.”

:: Unknown

“I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

:: Stephan Grellet

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

:: Maya Angelou

“Kindness is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back”

:: Unknown

“Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house… let no one ever come ~ to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness.”

:: Mother Teresa

“Kindness is never wasted. If it has no effect on the recipient, at least it benefits the bestower.”

 :: S. H. Simmons

 “You can gain more friends by being yourself than you can by putting up a front. You can gain more friends by building people up than you can by tearing them down. And you can gain more friends by taking a few minutes from each day to do something kind for someone, whether it be a friend or a complete stranger. What a difference one person can make!”

:: Sasha Azevedo

“Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses”

::Confucius

“Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits, Take care of your garden And keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine Kind words and kind deeds”

:: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.”

:: Charlie Chaplin

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Bible Verses on Being Kind

New Testament Scriptures

John 15:13-14 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. NIV

Luke 6:35-36  But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. NIV

Rom 2:1-4  You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?  NIV

Ephesians 4:32  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  NIV

1 Cor 13:4-7  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. NIV

Col 3:12-14  Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. NIV

1 John 3:17-20  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence NIV

Phil 2:1-4  If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. NIV

Luke 15:20 “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. NIV

Mark 8:2-3  “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”  NIV

The Golden Rule  – Luke 6:27-31

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  NIV

Old Testament Scriptures

Isa 63:7  I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised,  according to all the Lord has done for us — yes, the many good things he has done. NIV

Zech 7:9-10  “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’  NIV

Zech 7:9  Thus has the Lord of hosts spoken: Execute true judgment and show mercy and kindness and tender compassion, every man to his brother; AMP

Prov 11:17  A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. NIV

Prov 14:21  He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. NIV

Prov 14:31  He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. NIV

 

Ps 103:1-5  Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits —

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. NIV

 

Mic 6:8  He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. NIV

Mic 6:8  He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? AMP

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Persevering Despite Circumstances

Daniel

Read: Daniel 1:1-7, and Daniel 6:1-28 (omit verse 24 for young or sensitive children).

Questions for discussion:

Do you think Daniel was lazy, or a hard worker?

When Daniel found out that he would be thrown into a lion’s den if he continued to pray, what did he do?

Why do you think Daniel continued to kneel down to pray instead of praying quietly in his head so that others could not see that he was praying?

How did God reward Daniel’s perseverance?

Key concepts:

Daniel was captured, along with many more of God’s people, and taken to live in a foreign country. In this country they had different traditions and customs and it was not acceptable to worship God. But Daniel chose to continue serving God. Even though it meant that he was risking death, Daniel knelt down and honored God by praying three times a day.

When the king discovered that Daniel was breaking the law by praying to God, he had Daniel thrown into a den of hungry lions. God stood by Daniel and rewarded his unwavering commitment to righteousness by protecting him from being eaten by the lions.

All these lessons are from: http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/lessons/perseverance/bible-stories

 

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Good Job Done

The farmer’s son was returning from the market with a crate of chickens his father had entrusted to him, when all of a sudden the box fell and broke open. Chickens scurried off in different directions, but the determined boy walked all over the neighborhood scooping up the wayward birds and returning them to the repaired crate. Hoping he had found them all, the boy reluctantly returned home, expecting the worst.

“Pa, the chickens got loose,” the boy confessed sadly, “but I managed to find all twelve of them.”

“Well, you done a good job, son,” the farmer beamed, “because you only left with seven.”

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Persevering in Prayer

The Widow

Read Luke 18:1-8 and Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Questions for discussion

1.            If you really want something from your parents, what do you do?

2.            What did the widow do?

3.            What was she asking for?

4.            Why did the judge grant her request?

5.            Is it okay with God if we ask for the same thing over and over again?

6.            Do you think God would answer any prayer just because you asked over and over?

7.            What kind of prayers do you think God likes to answer?

Key concepts

Usually when children really want something from their parents, they keep asking and asking over and over again. Similarly, in this story, a widow went to see a judge every day, asking him to grant her justice against someone who had treated her unfairly.

The judge did not fear God, nor care for men, yet he granted the widow’s request because he did not want her coming back day after day. God does care for His people and He will bring about justice for those who ask. God delights in kindness, justice and righteousness.

This lesson is from: http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/lessons/perseverance/bible-stories

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The Perseverant Builder

This lesson is from: http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/lessons/perseverance/bible-stories

Noah

Read Genesis 6:5-22.

Questions for discussion

What is the biggest project that you have built out of Lego®, wooden blocks or something else?

How long did it take?

How long do you think it took Noah to build an ark that was 450 feet long? (If you have time, visit a soccer or football field. Walk around the perimeter to give your children an idea just how big the ark was.)

What would have happened if Noah had given up and left the ark half built?

Has God ever given you a hard job?

Key concepts

God gave Noah a pretty big job; God asked him to build a huge boat. Even though he didn’t live near a lake or ocean, Noah persevered in finishing the job that God gave him.

Someday, God might give one of us a hard job to do, too. God might ask you to be friends with a kid who everyone else is choosing to ignore. He might ask you to forgive a brother or sister who teases you every day. God was pleased with Noah’s perseverance, and God will also be pleased with you when you persevere in doing what is right.