I'm a little late in getting this posted this month, but better late than never.
I am continuing with the Fruit of the Spirit series In case you missed them, you can find them here...
And now for GENTLENESS
Greetings
from Oregon! How are you? How is your family? We are doing well here. We are
almost at the end of the list of the fruits of the Spirit….
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galations 5:22
What does
it mean to have gentleness or to be gentle? To be gentle is to be mild or
moderate. A gentle breeze is a pleasant thing compared to crazy or wild wind. A
gentle person is someone who is probably quiet and pleasant to be around as
opposed to someone who is loud and showy. When I think of gentleness, I think
of cradling a newborn baby in my arms – taking extra care to hold the infant.
When I treat someone in a gentle manner, I think it means that I am kind and
considerate.
There are
several Bible verses that instruct us to be gentle.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ~ Eph 4:2
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ~ Phil 4:5
…pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ~ 1 Tim 6:11
And in Matthew 11:29, Jesus tells us He is gentle…
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.
I also really like the imagery of Col 3:12.
Therefore, as God’s
chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentle
ness and patience.
When you clothe yourself, you are putting on your clothes. In this
verse it tells us to clothe ourselves with spiritual things as well. Just as it
is important to put my shirt and pants on before I leave the house, I also need
to put on the fruits of the Spirit – to pray and ask God to fill me with love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.
I am enjoying sharing these ideas with you and hope you are
learning from them. We love you and are praying for you ~ please pray for us as
well.
