Gentleness: An Overview and a Slight Detour!

"What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?" - 1 Corinthians 4:21

"Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." -Galatians 6:1

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." -Ephesians 4:1-3

Gentleness... there are so many things that I want to try and cover in this study! I'm hoping, though, not to cover everything in today's overview, or else I won't have anything to blog about for the rest of the week. So, I'll probably keep today's overview kind of short...

We, as Christians, are called to gentleness. Aggressive behavior does not accomplish anything towards us being peacemakers or effective witnesses to others. Does gentleness mean that we have to be pushovers? No! But it is a denial of self... letting things go... and also not jumping on other people for things.

Ultimately, gentleness is a sister of Wisdom. As believers, we need to pray that God would give us wisdom and tact in situations where we will be addressing issues with other people. Wisdom, because we do not want to appear foolish or hypocritical when we approach someone to give constructive criticism. Which, by the way, is the only kind of criticism that we as believers should give... we should never tear someone down just for the sake of doing so. But when we point out the areas in a person's life that need change, we must also point to the Savior, who is capable of making that change in their lives, and His Word, which holds the instructions and keys for godly behavior. This is gentleness...

So, we want to have wisdom in order to point people in the right direction! And we must also have tact, which is the ability to know when and where to deal with certain issues or situations. Sometimes it is not the best idea to address a situation while it is in mid-motion... catching a fool in his folly, so to speak, can lead to extreme defensiveness on the part of the listener... So, tact is knowing when to address an issue and how to present the problem without being condemning or overly-critical... this is gentleness.

Friends, I'm excited to jump in and study this concept of gentle behavior towards our fellow believers as well as non-believers, but right now... I would like for us to take some time and pray that God would give us Wisdom and Tact. I would ask you, please pray for me, that God would give me wisdom as I search the Scriptures and then relate my findings to you. I would be inexpressibly grateful for your prayers!

Pray for yourselves, as well, that God would give you a heart that desires Him and that glorifies Him through your actions and words. This is what gentleness does, you know... it is a testimony to the power of God in our lives. This is what each of these fruits that we've studied is about! That we might look more like Jesus to those around us! People will be curious about how you have such love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and such self-control in your life... where does it all come from? And there is your opportunity to point them towards the cross... in gentleness, with wisdom and tact!

Friends, may God bless you as you seek Him this day! Until tomorrow...

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .