Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1,2 ESV)
Nice
I have often heard it said, “being nice is not one of the fruits of the Spirit.” And I understand the sentiment. Often, if we define niceness as being a doormat, unreactive, and sickly sweet, niceness is not admirable. But Paul’s words to Titus perhaps are a better definition of being nice.
Because Titus’s words are not only a good set of criteria for “Citizen of the Year” awards, but they actually pretty clearly describe our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Even though the governments of His day had no authority over Him, He obeyed them, even paying taxes. He obeyed God’s law, even though He was above it. Jesus was ready for every good work, His entire life (and thus provided for our salvation). He spoke evil of no one, although He often spoke of people’s unrighteousness, boldly. He was gentle, oh so gentle. And He was courteous, to all people He encountered.
People who try to do those things through act of will, fail. We run out of steam. We get discouraged. We get righteously (or unrighteously) indignant. But when we instead try to humbly copy Jesus, praying for His strength, submitting to His will… it gets easier and easier.
We can not be nice on our own. But in Christ, we can.