But that’s messed up, and it’s not exactly what the intended when He inspired Paul to write, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
It’s not the same thing as 1 Corinthians 13: “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
Trading good deeds does not constitute true love. Look, I understand the concept of doing “Random Acts of Kindness”. But why perform random acts instead of just being kind all the time?
I get this whole “Pay It Forward” idea. I understand that people are trying to inspire others to be nice. But I’m afraid we pass along the wrong idea if we wait for someone to do something for us before we will do something for someone else. Do we do it out of guilt or a sense of duty, or do we serve others because it’s the right – or righteous – thing to do?