Memory Verse -
But
the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There
is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23
Gentleness. A mild disposition. In other translations, gentleness is translated as
meekness. It is related to humility, calmness, quietness and tranquility. It is
part of that fruit of the Spirit that shows love to others in a gentle and
tender way.
Paul wrote to
the church as Colossae—teaching them, as he taught the Galatians, that we must be
gentle people demonstrating that quality of gentleness in our lives—as part of
our personality.
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves,
you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness,
and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who
offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above
all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect
harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as
members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and
counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it
as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:12-17
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| Take my yoke. Charleston SC museum yoke. Carry a heavy burden in a gentle way. |
As Jesus taught
a crowd of people, He declared that He himself was gentle.
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who
are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I
give you is light." Matthew
11:28-30
Gentle at
heart. That is Jesus. If we are to be like Jesus, how can we show gentleness?
How do we intentionally apply this gentleness to our lives? Intentionally
gentle. We all make choices every moment of every day. We can choose to be
humble, serve others and glorify God…or we can choose to be arrogant and
glorify ourselves. The obvious choice, if we are to put Jesus first in our
lives is to intentionally love our neighbor as ourselves…putting them first.
Treating others as we would treat Jesus Himself. Is this beginning to sound
familiar? Love our neighbor as ourselves? Yes, going back to Jesus teaching
about the Ten Commandments…love God and our neighbors.
Here we are
at the last day of June…a;most half of the year has gone by…only 177 days until
Christmas. What are your milestones during the year? Easter, Memorial Day…your
birthday…Summer Solstice, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving
Day…Christmas Day? Whatever day is important to you the best is yet to come!
That will be the day of Christ’s return…but we don’t know the hour or the day.
We aren’t meant to know the day, but Jesus gives the warning…be alert…keep watch. Don’t
fall asleep. Remember the disciples, Peter, James and John, who went to the
Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus on the evening of the Last Supper. Jesus told
them to watch and pray…but it was late at night, they were full from a
wonderful Passover Meal…and they fell asleep while Jesus prayed. See Matthew 26:36-45 and Mark 14:32-41. Just like His disciples, Jesus warns us to stay awake. So what is so bad about
going to sleep? We all need rest and we can’t possibly stay awake 24 hours a
day. So rest when you can…but when you are awake…be on the alert. Be ready
because we don’t know the hour or the day. Does that mean that we live only to
wait for Jesus’ return? No…but we aren’t to waste our time with meaningless
activity. Then again…remember Solomon’s evaluation of life…
I observed everything going on under the sun, and
really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:14
Is life
meaningless? That is something everyone has to decide for themselves. In the
meantime…life goes on. There is sunrise and sunset…just as they sang in
“Fiddler on the Roof”…
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following
another
Laden with happiness and tears….
The years fly by
swiftly…so quickly that they begin to melt into one another. Watch and pray.
Stay alert. Time will go by before you know it…and you’ll be resting with the
Lord. Waiting…waiting…waiting. One side of the grave or the other. Waiting for
the time when the dead in Christ will rise first. Will that be you?
In the meantime…how are
you doing memorizing this scripture? As you claim it and apply it to your life, it should
become part of you…and part of your memory. Can you share this fruit of the
Spirit in a gentle loving way with others around you?
But the Holy Spirit produces this
kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23
Prayer
~ Jesus, help us to be gentle in all our relationships with others. As this
year is passing before us, we are watching and waiting. Simply waiting…for Your
return. Hopeful that more people every day will believe in You as their Lord
and Savior. Come quickly Lord.
Daily
Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 19-23
© 2019 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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