Word of the Week - Gentleness
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” - Philippians 4:5
Gentleness is also translated “meekness”, which is power under restraint. It is not weakness, rather it is self-controlled strength that displays humble, caring, and gracious behavior towards others. It is choosing to be caring towards others even when you have the power and position to be forceful. The opposite of gentleness is being rough and harsh in our approach. Sometimes gentleness can be confused with personalities that are soft and sweet. In this context, Gentleness is not a personality but more of our approach and behavior towards others. It is approaching people with a Christlike humility.
In the context of our faith as believers, Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). When we are walking in the fruit of Gentleness, we will confront others with a spirit of care and kindness instead of frustration and anger, knowing that their value as a human being and their salvation is most important in our interaction. “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful”. 2 Timothy 2:24 We readily forgive, because we understand how much we have been forgiven by God. Because of our love for Christ, our approach towards others is more about living the gospel and less about us and our personal agenda. “Jesus must increase; I must decrease”. John 3:30
Of all of the fruits of the spirit, Gentleness is one of the most challenging for me. The good news is that God in His amazing love and grace has been working His Gentleness into me for decades. I am surely not where He desires for me to be, but I am more Gentle today than I have ever been. I still have a long way to go, and it is a major focus for me, especially at this stage of my life. Somehow growing up I developed more worldly views and values that were counter to being Gentle, especially in my early and formative years before being spirit filled. I learned to value being direct and tough, a more shrewd approach toward people. This drove me towards being focused, intense and goal oriented. These can be positive traits in life and business, but if not harnessed can hurt people and cause relational damage over time. I learned to operate with a strong sense of urgency, which drives me to be efficient with my time. I have discovered that going fast is often counter to being Gentle. At the worst of times, I value results over people and how they feel. The Lord continues to convict me deeply in this area. Like most of my “Word of the Week” messages, this is an area of challenge for me that I deeply desire for God to enhance in my life. I know that God values people over goals and our accomplishments. That being said, I do believe Gentleness towards others and achieving excellence in all areas of life can coexist and go hand and hand. I have experienced the blessing that comes from being Gentle towards others while also working diligently toward achieving a goal.
We are in a series at our church on “Fruits of the Spirit” and last week Pastor Charlotte Gambill shared a powerful message on “Gentleness”. If you struggle in this area I would encourage you to watch the message by clicking this link Gentleness_10_27_2024. I have summarized her message below.
3 Aspects of developing the fruit of Gentleness in our lives:
Awareness – The more I am aware the more gentleness grows within me. “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness, “ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes is clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 As I become more aware and understand that I carry the light of Jesus within me, my behavior and approach towards others becomes more godly and Gentle. Gentleness is the biproduct of our connection to Jesus. As we remain in Him, we are much more aware of His presence within us and we carry this treasure with us as we interact with others. As we walk with Jesus and grow in our faith we realize that people are fragile and we need to take a Gentle approach, especially if we are in positions of authority and power in our relationship with them. God leads us as a Good Shepherd and this should be our approach towards others.
Security – Gentleness is the vocabulary of the secure. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship (sons and daughters) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves”. Ephesians 1:4-6 When we know who we are in Christ our tone and vocabulary changes. Insecurity is loud and needs to be heard, whereas when we are secure in Christ we don’t have to compete or strive. Our approach should not be from a place of anger or frustration but from a place of security, knowing who we are in Christ, allowing our tone to be Gentle. Christ is strong and Gentle (the Lion and the Lamb), He commands us to speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15). This is our heritage in Christ; Gentleness is the vocabulary of those who are secure in Christ. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1
Forgivness – Gentleness is evidence of the fruit of forgiveness. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual (those responsive to the guidance of the spirit) are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness (not with a spirit of superiority or self-righteousness), keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ (that is the law of Christian love). Gentleness is power under constraint and the best picture of this is the Cross. We have received the gift of forgiveness and salvation even though we deserve death and condemnation; therefore, we should desire to extend this amazing grace to others in the name of Jesus. The bible challenges us in this area to be ambassadors of Christ in all situations as we carry the love of God with us, especially in positions of influence and leadership. Even in situations of disagreement and being attacked or unfairly accused, God calls us to be carriers of His Gentleness.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2
Let’s let our love for God and others be known by our Gentleness!
Duane