25 Uplifting Bible Verses About Kindness and Spreading Love

 

Have you noticed that people are angry, resentful, depressed, and more distrusting than ever before? You are not alone in this observation. The world today seems to be consumed by hate. But, we are not powerless against this negativity.

Thankfully the Bible has a solution for rising above the hate and overcoming the darkness. We have compiled a list of 25 uplifting Bible verses about kindness to help encourage you to see the light and spread love.

Our hope is that this article will help us plant good seeds to produce wonderful fruit. Remember, we reap what we sow! There is no better time than now to showothers how to plant good seeds so we can harvest fruits of health, joy, and happiness and spread this all around the world!

Let us share the joy of the Lord and demonstrate how being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ can put us all on a path toward better living. By regularly showing kindness and spreading love to all, we can make a difference in the world around us.

 

How can we uplift those around us?

Applying Scriptural principles to our daily lives will certainly improve our outlook. We have all heard stories about small gestures of kindness; how a random act of kindness impacted someone so greatly that this person turned around and did something wonderful for someone else. By continuing to pay it forward, even small acts of kindness can have a big impact. 

We won’t always understand the ripple effect of our good deeds, but God certainly knows. Kind words, thoughtfulness, consideration, and generous acts... all of this brings about good fruit. It’s contagious and it has the power to change lives, heal hearts, and bring hope.

Science tells us that harboring a spirit of helpfulness, in any form, brings many health benefits. It’s not surprising that Scripture would lead us down a path of benefit for all. Oh, the joy of the Lord!

 

What are the benefits of extending kindness and spreading love?

Steve Siegle, L.P.C. of Psychiatry & Psychology says thatkindness can physiologically change your brain for the better. Being kind boosts serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters that give you feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and cause the brain to create new pathways that promote happiness.

Additionally, kindness can help reduce anxiety, improve cardiovascular health, boost immunity, and increase lifespan. When we are kind, endorphins are released, which act as a natural pain reliever. 

 

Kindness is good for the health of the body

Siegle further notes that kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy, and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels.

In addition, Siegle shares that kindness can increase your sense of connectivity with others, which directly reduces loneliness and depression. When we experience social connectedness, it activates the brain in a way that promotes healing and happiness.

So, not only is kindness good for the recipient, it’s also good for the giver! 

 

What’s the difference between Cultural Kindness and Scriptural Kindness?

Anne Kerhoulas, writer for The Christian Union, explains thedifference between Cultural Kindness and Scriptural Kindness as follows. She says that true kindness is rooted in love and the difference between the two is stark. 

Cultural kindness, she states, "is more about tolerance, enduring differences without complaining, and being nice than it is about love. It asks us only to be pleasant to those whom we are different from, but it does not call us to love them. When kindness is without love, it can quickly become insincere, something we do because we are supposed to. But kindness without love is not kindness at all, but rather an imitation." 

On the other hand, "Godly Kindness is rooted in the covenantal love of God, who pursues the flourishing of his creation. But real human flourishing comes when humanity lives in accordance with what we were created for: submission to and obedience of our Creator."

One of many interesting points Kerhoulas makes is that Cultural kindness leads to cancel-culture “justice”, whereas Godly kindness that is rooted in love leads us to restorative justice through truth-telling, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

It’s important to note that while Cultural kindness is rooted in self-interest, Scriptural kindness stems from a desire to see others flourish. It’s vital that our kindness is based on biblical truth if we want to see real, long-lasting change in this world.

 

Bible Verses About Kindness, Joy, And Love

Explore these twenty-five verses about showing kindness and spreading love to find your personal favorites. These uplifting and encouraging verses will remind us to focus on joy and love as we reach out to others in kindness.

 

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

 

Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Remember we are acting in brotherly love when we treat others the way we want to be treated.

 

Proverbs 15:17

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

 

Colossians 3:12

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  

 

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

 

Mathew 5:44-48

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

Titus 3:4-7

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

Genesis 24:14

Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”

 

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

 

Ephesians 2:7

So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

Psalm 141:5

Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

 

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

 

2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

 

Galatians 6:10

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Luke 6:35 is one of my favorite verses. Jesus calls us to be kind to others while expecting nothing in return. While this is unnatural for most of us, it is the standard the Lord set for Christians and this is how we honor Him. True kindness has no expectation for a return. 

 

Isaiah 54:8

In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.

What a great reminder about loving patience and compassion!

 

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

 

Ruth 2:20-21

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’”

 

Ruth 3:10

And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

 

Nehemiah 9:17

They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

 

Psalm 31:21

Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.

 

Acts 28:2

The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.

 

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

 

Isaiah 54:10

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

 

Final Thoughts

Biblical kindness is rooted in love. May we grow in our ability to love and show love not for personal gain, but to be more Christ-like so that we can truly help others. After all, kindness is contagious, and what awonderful thing it is to catch! 

Let us not forget: John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

What verses stand out to you? What has the Lord been teaching you about kindness lately? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!