阅读经文 

有时我们会将善意（kind）和美好(nice)这两个词互换使用。对我们许多人来说，美好（nice）这个词仅仅意味着某些东西是令人愉快的。但在《圣经》中，希腊语chrestotes一词被翻译为“恩慈”(kindness)，它的含义更深。它指的是让我们自己对他人有用或有益处，而有些时候这意味着令人并不愉快的经历。

在以弗所书第二章中，我们读到了关于令人震撼的神的恩典的一些话语。因着神的恩典，我们白白得到救恩的礼物，即从我们的罪中得到救赎。这份礼物是白白得来的，但我们有时会忘记，是恩典改变了我们。恩典会带来结果。恩典是有用的，有益的，良善的。

恩典是有用的，因为它改变了我们。它将我们升高，使我们与基督耶稣同坐天上的宝座上——我们成了服侍万王之王的小小治理者！但别忘了，君王也有责任。我们做王的责任包括了随时随地向每个人彰显神的恩典。我们通过遵照万王之王的旨意行善来做到这一点。当我们如此行善时，我们就成了对世界有用的人（良善kind），反过来，世界也可以透过我们更好地明白神的恩典，这恩典是神藉着耶稣基督向我们显明的。

Sometimes we use the words kind and nice interchangeably. For many of us, the word nice simply means that something is pleasant. But in the Bible the Greek word chrestotes, translated as “kindness,” goes deeper. It refers to making ourselves useful or beneficial to others, and sometimes that is not pleasant.

In Ephesians 2 we read some amazing things about the grace of God. By God’s grace we receive the free gift of salvation from our sins. The gift is free, and yet we sometimes forget that it changes us. Grace gets results. Grace is useful, beneficial, kind.

Grace is useful because it changes us. It lifts us up. It seats us on a heavenly throne with Christ Jesus—we become minor rulers serving the King of kings! But don’t forget that kings have responsibilities. Our royal responsibilities include showing the grace of God to everyone, everywhere. We do that by living out the good works that the King of kings has prepared for us to do. And when we do those good works, we become useful (kind) to the world, which in turn can better understand the grace of God expressed through the kindness of Christ Jesus to us.