Philippians 4:5
“Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.”
This is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5). We are all to have it. I can’t recall this ever being emphasized growing up. My models were the cowboys on tv. We were to be brave. That is fine, but one dimensional. I could see this coming from the faith I grew up in. While the word gentleness may not have been used, the spirit was there.
I can recall bullies at school. I remember being bullied and oddly enough bullying others. That’s hard to grasp. Why would I repeat the behavior I despised. Those behaviors haunted me.
This is godly behavior. I was confusing manliness and gentleness. A true man should have both. Jesus did. He confronted the abusive powers of His day. In what context? It’s when they were abusing it. The religious leaders of the day weren’t humble, nor were they opening the way for others. They also were attacking Jesus. He defended Himself and the lesser.
Jesus qualified His self-defense. “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two”, (Matthew 5:41). He is teaching a kingdom principle. He wants us to love others and put them first. It’s fine to have our goals and strive to reach them. However, we are to allow them to go first.
This is challenging, but He assists us. He says in Matthew 16:24, ‘Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”’ He teaches us to do this.
It doesn’t mean we allow others to abuse us. That’s the line He drew. A weak one will allow others to go first. Jesus wants us to be strong yet allow them to go ahead.
This is how Jesus demonstrates God’s love. We are to do so as well. Back to gentleness. As we have all been dealt with roughly, we are to be gentle. Isaiah 45:3 says, “A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.” The all-powerful God shows this gentleness. He sees all our weaknesses and is patient and kind with us.
We must see others’ needs. We learn this by being in touch with our own hurts and thinking about how we would like to be treated. We wanted others to be patient with us, so we should be with them.
A strong, mature person can be strong and gentle. When one brags, they are advertising their insecurities. A strong person knows his place and doesn’t need to gain it from others. He can be gentle and not worry about appearing strong.
There is a need for sensitivity. Many don’t want to be seen as being treated gently, so we need to be careful that we don’t embarrass them. We aren’t doing this for ourselves, but for them. Don’t try to impress the crowds with our goodness. We are to bless others.
Lord, thank You for Your gentleness. It is surprising that the all-powerful, the creator and sustainer of all is gentle. Help us to follow Your example.