Gentleness is Strength
It’s never too late to acquire Godly traits in our lives. I’m quite sure the Apostle Paul had good reasons for writing about the Fruit of the Spirit. He was surrounded by whiners, complainers, and others who needed a good dose, rather a good fruit to munch on. And, here we are centuries later, and human beings need that good “fruit” more than ever!
Galatians 5:22-23 are Paul’s words: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
And those fruit I pray for daily. While all that fruit is beautiful, yummy and inviting, so are we when we bear that fruit. Today, I am highlighting the fruit of “gentleness”. Gentleness defuses conflict. It disarms critics. It’s persuasive. It’s attractive. It communicates love and tenderness.
Most importantly, gentleness makes us look more like Jesus. In Matthew 11:28-29, He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I AM GENTLE and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Wait. Does that mean that the stress and the pressure we’re feeling in life reveal that we are not gentle? Yes. Because the Bible says that the gentler we become, the more Christlike we become and the more at rest we will be.
We know how gentle Jesus was – remember the story of the one lost sheep. He leaves the other 99 behind to fetch the one. We know the gentle Jesus from His calling the little children to come to Him. We love the gentle Jesus because of His death on the cross – especially knowing He could have called 10,000 angels to wipe out those tormenting and killing Him. Some of His last words were to the 3rd man on the cross….assuring him he would be with Him in paradise.
The ability to discern when to use a gentle word or touch is a valuable gift of the Spirit. Especially in tense moments, when unkind words are the typical first response. The Christian who responds with gentleness and meekness is a true reflection of Jesus and the kingdom of God.
I see that gentleness fruit in my sis-in-law, Karen. Daily, it is an onerous responsibility to care for 99-year-old (in 24 days, 100), mom. “Gentleness” is the exact word for Karen, who continues to dote on mom, giving her 24/7 care despite mom’s many orders, complaints and impatience. I can’t begin to tell you how magnified is the “gentleness” fruit in Karen. I want to be like Jesus AND Karen when it comes to loving, caring, and serving in gentleness.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1). I know the truth of that scripture. I have been the recipient of someone’s anger. And I’m ashamed to say that I have been the giver of harsh words. I’m not proud of it. My feelings were hurt and instead of giving a gentle and kind response, my words came out harsh. I had to eat them, and they didn’t taste good. Ugh!
Do we want to be at peace? Do we want to be like Jesus? We can’t just force ourselves to be gentle. We can’t manufacture gentleness, because inside us we could still be under stress. It must be an “inside” job. It must be the fruit of God’s Spirit inside us.
I am taking note of Jesus’ own admission: “I am gentle and humble.” I want to admit that, too! In a tight walk with Jesus each day, we will learn from Him well and we will be “gentle and humble of heart”…..just like Him.
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
Philippians 4:5
The Ball Brothers recently went to Ukraine to help deliver humanitarian supplies. Beautiful “Gentle Shepherd” by the Ball Brothers best explain where God’s example of gentleness is seen and heard here.