TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 9, 2016.
GENTLENESS
Mildness combined with tenderness; kind; mild-mannered; meek.
What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
I Corinthians 4:21.
But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. I Timothy 6:11.
One of the characteristics of Jesus was that when He was on this earth He was gentle. In Matthew we read about His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and it reads that He came as a gentle king.
In Matthew 11:29 Jesus told us to "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Jesus lived His life while on this earth in such a way as to be an example of how He wants us to live.
In Isaiah 40:11 the prophet tells of the coming of the Lord and describes Jesus by saying that "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather His lambs with His arms and gently lead those that have young."
Jesus is often pictured as a shepherd who gently cares for his sheep. Sheep are defenseless and helpless. They need to be led to water and pastures and protected from animals that would prey on them. They can stray and get lost and must be rescued and be brought back to safety.
The gentleness that is depicted in Jesus is a characteristic that Jesus wants us to emulate in our lives.
Gentleness is a characteristic missing from lifestyles today. Very rarely will you meet a person that you will characterize as gentle. People are not gentle by nature. The apostle Paul exhorts us in II Timothy 2:24, "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach and be patient."
As believers we are faced with living in a world of evil and conflict and must choose how to respond. The temptation we face is to become angry and fight back. We must consciously work on responding as the scriptures tell us by being gentle, mild and tender in our response and at times this is very hard to do.
Sometimes the best option is to run. In the verse above from I Corinthians Paul tells Timothy to flee from the things that bring ruin and destruction and pursue the Godly traits of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness.
Jesus wants us to be gentle as He was gentle. When we choose to follow Him in obedience the Holy Spirit will develop in us such characteristics as gentleness and kindness. It will be an outflow of His love at work in our lives.
In Proverbs 15:1 it reads that a gentle and kind answer turns away wrath, but a harsh answer stirs up anger. How do you respond to people and situations? Consider responding today to every situation that comes your way with gentleness and see how God will use you to influence others.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 6:21.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Help me to seek the trait of being gentle. May the example of gentleness that Jesus set for us that I read about in Your Word be evident in my life. May gentleness, kindness, godliness and meekness always be the character traits that I pursue.
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