Author Richard Paul Evans said, “Sometimes it’s not strength but gentleness that cracks the hardest shells.”
Gentleness is another valuable and beautiful trait of a believer in Christ. In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul speaks of it in the same breath as humbleness, patience, and love. He deems gentleness essential to the Christian life. Why? Because without it, we are not worthy of our calling as Christ-Followers.
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”. Ephesians 4:1-2
Not being gentle makes us unworthy of our calling because, without it, we cannot be like Jesus. In the original Greek of the New Testament, the word used for gentleness also means meekness. In today’s world, many see meekness as a negative quality. We are instead taught to believe we should be strong-willed and tough-minded.
But what we don’t realize is the fact that so much of the immense conflict we face in the world could be avoided by a meek and gentle spirit. Jesus Himself showed gentleness and meekness in submitting to the will of God. When His persecutors came against Him, He could have called upon an army of angels from heaven to secure His safety. But instead, He looked towards the best interests of humanity and accepted His destined path.
We, too, must look towards God’s will instead of our own. To do that, we must embrace a gentle and humble spirit. Clinging too tightly to our own will only serve to take us further and further away from our calling. To truly embrace the image of God within us, we must submit to God’s will and the example of Jesus. Then we will see to fruition the depths of what we are able to accomplish for the Kingdom of God.
Remember, as we strive to be more like Jesus, the fruit of the spirit will grow and manifest in our lives.
“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”. Galatians 5:22-23
Write Pastor Billy at pastorbilly@findtruelife.com