The Fruit of the Spirit (8/9) – Gentleness
Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
Matthew 11:29
"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
Luke 23:34
"Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots."
The Lord Jesus once said that we are destined to bear fruit. Our goal in life should, therefore, be to bear lasting fruit that is so valuable to God.
Ultimately, fruit means reflecting the characteristics of the Lord Jesus. When He is seen in us, God is glorified.
In this series, we want to reflect on the individual fruits that the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More wants to work in our lives. And since our Lord is always the perfect role model (cf. Mt 11:29; Jn 13:15; 1 Pet 2:21), we will look directly at incidents from His life where these characteristics become visible.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is … gentleness ..."
Gentleness, or meekness, is not softness or weakness. First of all, it is the willing submission of the believer to the will of God. It is accepting everything from the hand of God (Job 1:21, 22; 1 Sam 3:18; 2 Sam 15:26).
A gentle person accepts disappointments, difficulties, or even personal attacks without complaining. He stops dissatisfaction, bitterness, or feelings of revenge in his heart.
A gentle believer is slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19); he is not quick-tempered. He gladly forgives. A gentle person can rebuke a believer in this attitude (Gal 6:1).
Examples of gentleness in the life of the Lord that we can learn from:
- The Lord did not respond to insults, beatings, or murder plots.
- The Lord Jesus, who needed time to Himself to mourn His murdered friend, John, calmly takes time for the crowds who flock to Him (Mt 14:12, 13).
- The Lord Jesus commends the disciples for their faithfulness, even though they would all abandon him (Lk 22:28, 30).
- The Lord Jesus puts the criticism of the disciples who had fallen asleep into gentle words and even finds an excuse for their behavior (Mt 26:40.41).
- The Lord Jesus went away when He was ungratefully asked to do so despite having just delivered someone from a demonIn the Bible, demons are described as "unclean spirits" that are controlled by Satan (cf. Rev 16:13-14). On several occasions during His life on earth, the Lord Jesus cast out... More (Lk 8:37; cf. Lk 6:35b).
- The Lord did not agree with the disciples' desire for revenge, who want to bring down fire from heaven (Lk 9:53-55).
- The Lord prayed for forgivenessIn Scripture, forgiveness is presented to us from two points of view. • The side of God: God’s thoughts towards the sinner whom he forgives. On the basis of Christ’s... More for those who hate Him (Lk 23:34).
