Be Gentle

The following is an excerpt from Dan Owens book A Joy That Is Real, Chapter 19

The Romans didn't like the word gentle any more than they liked the word humble. It symbolized weakness and frailty.

Paul says that our gentleness should be evident to everyone. The older I get, the harder I find it is to be gentle and patient - especially when I'm out on the freeway. There's always that person sitting in the fast lane doing the speed limit, backing up traffic for three miles. I find myself getting irritated at that point.

Jesus was the ultimate example of this attribute. First Peter 2:23 says, "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats." The prophet Isaiah tells us that Jesus allowed himself to be led like a lamb to the slaughter (53:7).

I was in a restaurant with a couple of other men. As we sat conversing, a young woman with a physical handicap walked up to our table. She was trying to sell us something. Some of the guys at our table began questioning her and making fun of her. I watched as she answered their questions and was gracious to them.

Her gentleness convicted me, so I took a closer look at what she was selling. She had made little placards with sayings on them, and one read, "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges." It looked interesting, so I said, "I'll take three of these." I took out my wallet and gave her some money, and she thanked me and left.

The following Sunday I was preaching at my church, and I looked down and there in the front row sat the same young woman. She smiled at me and I smiled back. I was struck with the realization that if I had been rude to her and said mean things, I would have been feeling pretty bad about myself right then. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit had prompted me to respond with gentleness.

Being gentle means that we yield our personal rights for the consideration of others. Paul also says to be gentle because the Lord could return at any time.

God bless you,

Dan

Copyright 2008 Eternity Minded Ministries