LEARNING DAILY

Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Jonathon Moore, Lead Pastor at NorthRock Church, first defined gentleness in terms people might think of it – “warm fuzzy, soft, and gooey”. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus defined Himself as “gentle”. “Jesus did a lot of things that do not match the ideas people, today, think about when someone says he/she is gentle. No, He preached strong counter-culture messages, cast out demons, and sometimes rebuked His disciples. But He claimed to be gentle!” (JM). 

Pastor Moore went on to define gentleness from the Greek root word prauteus – “strength/power under control. Authority in submission” (Audrey’s notes).  She also wrote, “it’s a greater power; Jesus showed this by surrendering His all-powerful authority to take on the flesh and be crucified for us”. “He had the power to call on all the power in heaven but chose to die for us – that’s gentleness; power under control” (JM). God uses those who understand strength under control to accomplish His purpose on earth. Pastor Moore also used Jesus washing the feet of the disciples as another example.

Pastor said, “gentleness is the by-product of awareness”. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” Believers must be aware that this light Paul wrote about is now living in us; this power raised Jesus Christ from the dead! “We must be aware of this treasure, God’s presence in our lives. If we aren’t aware, we’ll carelessly toss around our purpose” (Audrey’s notes). We must be aware of this in order to live our lives the way God desires as we walk the narrow way. “Gentleness directly relates to how we treat others and how we handle ourselves. When we are aware of what we have in our lives [the Holy Spirit], we act differently. Do not be flippant with carrying the Light of Jesus in you!” (JM).

Secondly, “Gentleness is the vocabulary of security”. Security is confidence to act as the son/daughter of God. It is reflected in our speech and the way we act – strength under control. Insecurity can be seen by the one who is loud, always trying to prove himself and often comes as the result of being attacked (JM). Philippians 3:20-21, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ is guiding you, changing you into His image in order to walk into heaven someday should give you the confidence to act and sound like him as we walk the narrow way. Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” “Want peace in your life? Say things in gentleness; speak the truth in love, not harshness!” (JM). Proverbs 25:15, “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.”

The last point Pastor Moore made was, “Gentleness is the fruit of forgiveness”. Each of us has had an unkind word spoken to us, felt like an injustice has been done to us at some time. It is important to remember how Jesus forgave each of us and what He endured for us to be forgiven! If He can forgive the soldiers that nailed Him to the cross and mocked Him as they did, you and I can forgive what others say and do to us!

It is a good message for each of us to remember and apply to our lives!