“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32, ESV).
This daily devotional for men on Nov. 14, 2026 looks at a command that sounds simple but asks for something demanding: a life marked by kindness, even toward people who have not earned it.
What This Verse Means
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Ephesus, urging believers to imitate God and live in love, following the example of Christ, who loved them and offered himself as a sacrifice, according to GotQuestions.org. Paul lists what has to go first: bitterness, wrath, anger, harsh words and malice. Only after clearing that ground does he get to the command to be kind.
In the original Greek, the phrase rendered “be kind to one another” literally means “keep on becoming kind toward one another,” GotQuestions.org noted. That is not a one-time decision. It is a direction a man keeps choosing, day after day.
Kindness, as the passage frames it, involves caring for others, carrying their burdens and valuing them above ourselves, and it shows up through helpful deeds rather than mere words, according to GotQuestions.org. God’s own kindness set the standard. He sent His Son to die on the cross, providing a way for forgiveness and salvation, the site noted.
Desiring God adds another layer to this idea. True kindness is Spirit-produced, a supernaturally generous orientation of the heart toward other people, even when they do not deserve it and will not love us back, the ministry wrote. Jesus put it directly in Luke’s Gospel: “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).
Living It Today
Kindness is not reserved for people who are easy to like. Desiring God pointed to an everyday example familiar to most men: the daily commute, where kindness means a generous orientation toward others on the road, including the ones who cut you off or slow you down. That is a small, repeatable test of whether bitterness or kindness wins out in an ordinary moment.
The same applies at work, at home and with friends. A man practicing Ephesians 4:32 looks for ways to encourage rather than tear down, to speak life instead of discouragement, as the passage’s call to kindness suggests. He forgives the way he has been forgiven, not because the other person asked for it, but because that is the pattern Christ set.
Kindness does not always look soft. Desiring God noted that it can take the form of tough love or honest rebuke when that is what exposes sin and helps someone change, the way a physician cuts deep to remove cancer. Real kindness cares enough to tell the truth, not just to keep the peace.
Proverbs makes a promise tied to this pursuit: “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21). God’s kindness is meant to lead people toward repentance, and believers reflect that kindness when they extend it to people who have wronged them, according to Desiring God.
Reflection Questions
Where in your daily routine, whether on the road, at the office or at home, is bitterness crowding out kindness right now?
Is there someone in your life who has not earned your kindness but needs it anyway?
Does your kindness show up only in words, or does it also show up in action?
A Prayer For Today
Father, thank You for the kindness You showed in sending Your Son. Strip away the bitterness and anger I carry and replace it with a heart that keeps choosing kindness, even toward people who have not earned it. Give me the courage to speak truth in love and the humility to forgive as I have been forgiven.
Let my kindness today be more than words. Make it real, in the small moments and the hard ones. Amen.
For more daily readings, see this devotional for men on patience and this devotional on humility. Women can also find today’s reflection in the devotional for women on service to others.
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