June 23 – Gentleness (Philippians 4:4-5)

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
(Philippians 4:5)

IN WORD:
David was gentle toward his rebellious son (2 Samuel 18:5). Jesus came into this world with a spirit of gentleness (Matthew 11:29; 21:5). Paul had a tender attitude toward the churches he had founded (2 Corinthians 10:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:7). Throughout Scripture, we are instructed to put on gentleness as though it’s a required garment. Why? Because God has been gentle with us. It’s who He is, and we are to be like Him.
We may not envision God as being gentle. We read of His anger toward humanity before the ark was built; of His command for Israel to ruthlessly conquer the Canaanites; of His judgments on Israel in the prophets; and of His harsh condemnation of our sin when He laid our iniquity on a bloodied, beaten Jesus. But all of this points to His absolute, uncompromising, holy purity. His heart is thoroughly gentle. When our confession and humility allow for His gentleness, He always chooses it over His judgment.
Have you felt His gentle touch? When you received mercy rather than condemnation, it was there. Every day when He feeds you, clothes you, and surrounds you with air to breathe, you feel His tender provision. If there is anyone out there who loves you as you are, you have seen a reflection of His gentle nature. In Jesus, we know a gentle God.

IN DEED:
If the fruit of the Spirit are God’s display of His character through the church to a searching world, then gentleness is one of the most needed elements of that display. The world does not know of this gentle God — it portrays Him as either viciously judgmental or blandly irrelevant. It has not seen enough examples of righteous, patient, redemptive gentleness. Be one of those examples. Find a hurting person and demonstrate God’s gentle touch.

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” -St. Francis de Sales-