Gentleness (Daily Devotional)

Shalom and welcome to another episode of Living Supernaturally, where we look into God's word, delve deeper and really get understanding and application from it. We have been looking at how we can live out the fruit of the Spirit and we've come to the second last fruit that is spoken about in Galatians which is gentleness. When we look at gentleness, it is a prominent theme and is often associated with qualities such as humility, meekness and compassion. In the New Testament, Jesus is described as gentle and humble in heart. Jesus modeled this gentleness when He interacted with others. Gentleness is also translated as meekness and it does not mean when one is meek that they are weak, rather it involves humility, thankfulness towards God and polite restrained behavior towards others. It's a tender compassionate approach towards others weaknesses and faults and limitations and it is portrayed as a powerful quality, one that reflects who God is one, one that reflects the character of God and it is something that is so essential for good and healthy relationships and communities. Colossians chapter 3, verse 12 reads, ‘so, as those who have been chosen by God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.’ When we look into the Bible, we see some biblical figures who displayed this quality of gentleness. One example is Moses who is described as humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth. We see another example is David, who showed gentleness towards king Saul despite the fact of Saul wanting to kill him. So, how do you and I live this fruit of the Spirit? Gentle behavior can be demonstrated in many contexts, let's say in our personal relationships, it can involve listening, speaking kindly, avoiding hurtful words, being empathetic to the pain of others, to approach others with humility, recognizing our own limitations and flaws, also being willing to admit our mistakes and apologize whenever necessary. This is some one of the ways that we can show gentleness in our personal relationships. The workplace, it may mean treating your co-workers with respect and giving constructive feedback in a genuine, gentle and a non-threatening manner, which will help to build and encourage them. What about in the context of parenting? Parenting with gentleness involves being patient with children, avoiding harsh punishment, using a gentle tone but yet being firm and corrective in action, yet loving and controlled. What about public interactions? It may look like showing kindness and respect towards others, not being aggressive or rude but being courteous. In all these contexts, being gentle is to be humble and to extend forgiveness wherever needed. As Christians, cultivating gentleness is an essential part of following Christ. Gentleness reflects the character of God, who He is and how compassionate He is. It helps us build stronger relationships and it allows us to communicate and resolve conflicts. So, let us live out the fruit of the Spirit by being gentle. Let's pray together, Heavenly Father, we thank you that you teach us in every interaction that we may have, that you desire of us to be gentle and kind to others, being patient with faults and flaws. Father God, teach us Lord in all our actions, our words, our situations that we will truly live out the spirit of gentleness, thank you Father, in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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