A Gentle Spirit

Philippians 4:4-5

Let your gentleness be evident to all. (Philippians 4:5, NIV)

SOME OF PAUL’S CONTEMPORARIES might have thought him a bit prickly. His words could be cutting, and the misperceptions and barbs of his critics sometimes offended him. Most sympathetic observers, however, would have understood the intensity of his language to be a product of his passion and energy. He was zealous for the message God had given him and sensitive to anything that opposed it.

But how did the apostle see himself? Gentle and unassuming, “like a mother feeding and caring for her own children,” he wrote to one church (1 Thessalonians 2:7). In fact, this characteristic of gentleness comes up often in his writings, probably because it was so evident in the ministry of Jesus. Neither Jesus nor Paul was weak, but both understood the imperative of expressing the patience and kindness of God’s heart. They knew how to harvest fruit without bruising it.

Regardless of whatever offenses we’ve experienced from the callousness of others, we need to embrace the gentleness of God. He has handled us with great care, and he calls us to comfort and care for others with the same tenderness. Eighteenth-century theologian Jonathan Edwards, never reluctant to preach a bold sermon, emphasized the gentleness of the Christian spirit as a mark of true discipleship. Edwards was well familiar with the dynamics of religious controversy and knew what a lack of gentleness could produce. A quick glance at the social and political climate today reinforces the point a thousand times over. The world is not in need of more contentious spirits. It is in desperate need of people with gentle hearts. In the name of Jesus, be one of them. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Defuse the combustible relationships around you with the shalom of God’s Kingdom. Let the Prince of Peace bring peace through you.

{Jesus, you were gentle in even the most bitter and hostile circumstances. I get drawn into the world’s tension far too easily. Lift me up, fill me with peace, remind me of my security in you, and let me demonstrate your gentleness to all. Amen.