Prayer – Lord, I want to be known as a gentle person. Mold me and make me into one who is not only reverent to You, but compassionate and caring for Your followers, helping those who are lost to find You amidst this chaotic life that is spinning around us.
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 NLT
Meditate.
Consider the quality of gentleness.
Gentleness
is considered meekness, mild disposition, and humility. That is a humbling
thought. We all need to be humble before the Lord—the Creator, Sustainer, and
Redeemer. Jesus was such a humble, gentle, and compassionate person. Except for
the time He “cleansed” the Temple of the moneychangers, we don’t see Him raising
His voice or His hand to anyone. Well, he may have raised His voice to some of
the Pharisees with the words He had for them…but we don’t see that recorded in
any of the Gospels.
Since God chose you to be the holy
people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness,
humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians
3:12 NLT
Don't cast your pearls before swine.
Nor rely on jewelry
...to show your gentle spirit.
Just humbly submit to the Lord.
Peter
gives us an insightful comment on women’s beauty associated with a gentle
spirit.
Don't be concerned about the
outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.
You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:3-4 NLT
This
gentle spirit is also described in the wife of noble character in Proverbs 31
who is wise and kind.
She is clothed with strength and
dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words
are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. Proverbs 31:25-26 NLT
All
Christians are to be ready to give a gentle and respectful explanation for the
hope that they have in Christ Jesus as their Savior.
Now, who will want to harm you if
you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God
will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead,
you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your
Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle
and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against
you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you
belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is
what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! 1 Peter 3:13-17 NLT (Underlined for
emphasis.)
Can you gently
tell others about your hope in Christ?
Verse
of Salvation ~ (Read
in context of Chapters Five and Six of Hebrews.) Dear friends, even though
we are talking this way, we really don't believe it applies to you. We are
confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with
salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked
for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers,
as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as
long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come
true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you
will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises
because of their faith and endurance. Hebrews 6:9-12 NLT
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
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