E37 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Gentleness / Is it weakness?
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #37
Title: Gentleness – Is it weakness?
Date: January 17, 2022
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse(s): Paul in Ephesians 4:1 – ‘I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
Ephesians 4:2 – ‘with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love…’
As a fruit of the Spirit gentleness, meekness in the KJV, is in Galatians 5:23 – ‘…gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’
Intro: Jesus was always gentle and meek with hurting people. Did this mean Jesus was weak? Listen to Revelation 19:11 – 16:
Revelation 19:11 – ‘Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Revelation 19:12 – ‘His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
Revelation 19:13 – ‘He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Revelation 19:14 – ‘And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Revelation 19:15 – ‘Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Revelation 19:16 – ‘And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.’
Does this sound weak? There is only one KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS and He is the Son of GOD. His Hebrew name is Jeshua – meaning savior, deliverer.
yehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛
yeh-ho-shoo'-ah, yeh-ho-shoo'-ah
From H3068 and H3467; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (that is, Joshua), the Jewish leader: - Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua. Compare H1954, H3442.
His Name is from Jehovah, meaning the GOD who saves.
Devotion focus: Gentleness reveals strength -
What is a common human trait portrayed or revealed in the national news on a regular basis? Is it gentleness? Of course not.
Isn’t it rather brute strength in the way of violent crime? Domineering behavior whether by individuals or governments.
I’m the first to admit gentleness and meekness won’t usually get you very far in the average workplace. I also know there is a time for brute strength. As a police officer I was assaulted numerous times during my career and it took all the strength I could muster just to survive the attacks.
So what I’m trying to point out is there are times when we can be gentle and others when we have to be strong.
I live in the South and for the most part people here are still kind and courteous. For the most part. For the other part I see a lot of frustration and irritation in people and when I look in the mirror, that guy has them too.
I have on my dash a 3x5 card with the question: “Am I being kind?” This is because when driving in traffic, people who are probably very nice and considerate at work or church turn into a whole other creature when driving.
To counter the anger and frustration of living in crowded cities and crowded roads, consider gentleness when otherwise the beast would come out.
It takes practice, just like the other virtues in the last several episodes.
Let me give a quick example of something I went through years ago. My daughter totaled her car after having it only 4 weeks. She wrecked it racing. When I got to the scene, I took in the damage, walked up to her and said, “You just had to learn the hard way, didn’t you?” She wilted. Instead of being thankful she and her passenger were uninjured I was furious and I’ve regretted my reaction ever since.
A few years later I was the supervisor on an accident scene where a teenage driver turned left into the path of an oncoming car. Her parents’ vehicle was totaled, but she was unhurt. Her father arrived and his face said it all. I intercepted him before he could get to his daughter.
I told him of my mistake years before and that whatever he did in the next few minutes would be remembered. I pointed out his daughter made a mistake in judging distance and that nothing he said would change that fact. Also that insurance would replace his vehicle, and then left him and his wife alone for a moment.
He then walked over to his daughter and embraced her as she sobbed out an apology. Later as they left the scene he gave me a slight smile.
Summary: Our Savior is gentle with us when we make mistakes. Even when He must chasten us for our protection His mercy is filled with gentle reminders long before He deals with us sternly. I know this is true based on my experience with being scourged because I was hard-hearted and didn’t listen when GOD first began to warn me about my lack of gentleness.
I have regrets about the way I was so stern with my children when they were small. I loved and provided for them, but I didn’t learn until too late that for every ounce of discipline (listen, children have to obey when told to do something), but for every ounce of discipline they get, children need a ton of love and affection.
Action to consider: If you don’t know whether you’re gentle with others, begin to take note of how you respond to frustrations. Even when you’re irritated you have a choice of whether you lash out or take that deep breath first…
Next week’s devotion: Self-control – we must because GOD won’t.