Patching His Pants

Read or Listen: James 3:14

Biblical gentleness is rooted in meekness and humility.  You can’t separate these virtues. You’ll never find one without the others… I like the definition that I read years ago: “strength under control… the ability to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked.”

Two wives were doing their washing in a laundromat. They were both sitting mend their husband’s pants. As they were sowing, the one lady said, “My husband is so discouraged, he is so cold. We can’t find anything good on TV. Nothing seems to go right for him. Every one at work picks on him and we are not appreciated by anyone. We argue a lot. Our home is so sad and we live in despair. Our kids are brats. When we go to church, the song service is dead. The pastor is an idiot.”

The other lady said, “My husband is so excited. He can’t wait to go to church. He loves the Lord. He is so enthused. We laugh all the time. We can’t wait to see what God is going to do for us.” It got very quiet in the laundry mat as the two women continued sewing on their husbands pants. One was patching the seat of the pants, the other was mending the knees.

Gentleness/meekness is a spiritual fruit. It’s not something we grow with more effort. For it is God which works in you both to will & to do of his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13) Just because Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, we should not expect to see this amazing spiritual strength growing automatically; the only way to see meekness overcome your weakness is by letting the Holy Spirit bring it to pass: as Paul says: “Walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16).

Meekness is powerful… Let’s pray for each other that we will walk in the Spirit and not live out the flesh-life this week.You got my back? Because I’ve got yours!

Rise-Time Blessing:

Make time today to pronounce a ‘blessing’ (a positive, hopeful word of faith) over your son/daughter. As you do, lay your hands on his/her shoulder or head. Start with “I believe…”

Prime-Time Discussion:

What do you think… are gentleness, meekness, and humility the same thing… or different?

Do you agree with Pastor Patrick that they are inseparable? Can a person be proud and still meek? …both humble and abrasive? [Consider more than just a single action or just 1 day… consider a year, a decade, a life.]

devotion by Patrick Nix

Home-grown Gentleness

Read or Listen: Eph. 4:1-6

My father-in-law, Frank Centimole, has given to Wanda and me this summer some of his home-grown tomatoes. I think tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable…but the important point here is that tomatoes must be grown…not manufactured . They are grown from a plant that has life within, because it’s rooted in soil…receives sunshine and rain from above…and the life within ultimately produces fruit outside.

So it is with all of us. I can’t become gentle simply through self-effort or will power; God’s Spirit must grow such fruit within my life from the inside out…as I allow His power and strength to control my weak, reactive, and selfish flesh.  According to Ephesians, gentleness is essential for those who want a worthy walk: “Walk…with all…gentleness” (4:1). How can you tell if you are gentle? Evaluate yourself honestly.

First, do you seek to restore or encourage someone who has failed…or do you condemn or gossip about that person? Galatians 6:1 says that we are to restore one who is overtaken in a fault…in the spirit of gentleness…

Second, do you always seek to make peace? Gentle people are peacemakers. Ephesians 4:3 says they are “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Gentle people don’t start fights; they end them.  Another application of this principle: Do you accept criticism without retaliation? Whether the criticism is right or wrong, don’t strike back. In fact, you can thank your critics, because criticism sometimes shows you your weakness and helps you grow.  Don’t react…benefit from what’s said…and make peace.

Third, do you have the right attitude toward the unsaved? Peter says, “Always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (I Peter 3:15).

May we aspire to not be ‘the way we are’…may we aspire to be like Jesus…Who is gentle and lowly in heart. It makes for serene living and lighter loads!! Amen.

Prime-Time Discussion:

Do we sometimes think that to be gentle is like being weak or “sissy” or soft? Do we think it’s more manly to be the ‘in your face’ type…and maybe that being gentle is more for girls?

Who is more gentle? A 5-year old child who isn’t strong enough or old enough to confront a bully…or a 35-year old power lifter who could lose his temper,  pick up the bully, and smack him around…but instead, he chooses to wisely confront him and requires him to apologize for his bullish behavior?

Night-Time Prayer:

Lord, please control me by your Holy Spirit. I confess my sin of often behaving according to my human nature and  my flesh. Help me to not react to life according to my ‘gut’…but grow within me the fruit of gentleness, humility, & graciousness.  I want to be like You! In Your name, I pray. Amen

devotion by Bob Cook

Gentleness Wins

Read or Listen: Proverbs 25:15

There is an Aesop fable that tells a tale of the wind and the sun having a little bet. They were betting about who could get the coat off of a man’s back the quickest. The wind blew and blew, but despite hurricane force gusts, the man kept his coat on. In fact, the more the wind raged, the more he clung on to it. The sun took a different approach. Gently and quietly the sun shined brighter and warmer, until the man couldn’t stand it anymore, and had to take off his coat. The sun and the wind employed very different tactics to get what they wanted. And they invoked very different results.

This story is a lesson to us about how we relate with one another.  We can decide to be the wind or to be the sun.  You see, there was nothing subtle about the wind’s approach. The wind’s thinking was that if he shouted, harassed and battered the man, the coat would be whipped from him.  But it didn’t work out that way. It backfired and the man just held onto his coat all the more.  The sun knew gentleness was the key.  Sure, maybe it would take longer and require more effort to get the coat of the man’s back that way, but eventually, the coat would come off.  There would be no shouting or harassment and the man wouldn’t have the coat ripped from his back, he’d take it off himself.  What a difference.

The writer in Proverbs 25:15 understood this concept when he wrote: “A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”

What’s your approach?  Are you like the wind or like the sun?  How different it would be if we could approach every situation with gentleness?

Prime-Time Discussion:

What is your definition of gentleness?  In what areas could you be more gentle in your actions and reactions?

Night-Time Prayer:

Lord, help me to recognize the times that I struggle with being gentle.  Help me to act and react in a spirit of gentleness to those around me.

devotion by Steve Gillespie

Gentle Defined

Read or Listen: Gal. 5:22-23

I have enjoyed these devotionals on the fruit of the Spirit.  The main reason is that it helps us see Jesus so clearly.  We have no greater teacher or example of these fruits than Jesus.  Every Fruit of the Spirit family devotion could be a study about how Jesus was that fruit.  Of course, we are to be like Him, so our lives will bear these fruits.

Let us take today’s topic of Gentleness and once again use a synonym.  Tenderness or Tender has the same meaning as Gentleness.  Tender is being easily crushed or bruised as Jesus was for our sins.  Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;”  Tender means vulnerability.  Jesus made himself vulnerable at the cross because he knew he must face death.  Tender also means painful such as a tender spot on your skin.  Jesus endured severe pain because of his great love for us.  Hebrews 12:2 “…For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It gets better… Tender as a noun means payment for something.  Jesus paid the worlds biggest debt: Sin.  Matthew 26:26 “What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”  His death was legal tender for the penalty we all owed because of sin.  Another meaning is to tender or offer something formally.  What does Jesus offer?  Just read John 3:16

Which brings me to my last point about the word tender.  A tender is One who tends.  We are his people, his children…his sheep and sheep need a shepherd. Jesus is our Shepherd.  Do you see how beautiful and rich words are when we look at their meanings.  I can truly say that my second favorite book is the dictionary.  Merely reading definitions opens the word of God to another level.  Jesus, our Savior, is tender in more ways than one.  How awesome is that?

Prime-Time Discussion:

Take a moment and discuss all the past fruits of the Spirit and their definitions. Compare the list of the fruits from different Bible translations and see if that deepens your understanding of Christ-likeness.

devotion by Eric Tyree

Kindness -or- Goodness

Read or Listen: Rom. 8:12-17

Behind the scenes, there was a little confusion between our staff about which was actually the fruit of the Spirit for this week: kindness or gentleness.  Since I grew up KJV, I defaulted to gentleness, but since every other version (even NKJV) reads kindness we were a little confused. After some research, we discovered that the [Greek] root word is the exact same in all Bibles and that it is most-often translated kindness in every Bible.

Over and over, the Scriptures speak of a kind and good God.  He is good to His children:  “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”  (Isaiah 40:11)  “Praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us…” (Ps. 117:1-2) He is gentle with sinners: “The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared… Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”  (Titus 3:4-7)  God plans to spend all eternity showing how kind He can be: “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us…”  (Ephesians 2:7)

Do gentleness and kindness seem like qualities on the top of many lists today?  What do these words mean to you?  For some, it might mean being a push-over or a marshmallow… to others, it might be a coveted virtue.
Needless to say, these character traits are as scarce as water in a summer Arizona desert.  We live in a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world.  There is not even much gentleness or kindness where you might expect to find it: nurses and
doctors have become preoccupied with their paychecks, homes are toxic environments, and churches are full of bitterness.  It’s tragic how few true ‘gentlemen’ are living generous, good lives in today’s society. Let’s seek to be filled by the Lord’s Spirit so others may see Him—His kindness—in us!

Prime-Time Discussion:

Which word do you prefer: kindness or gentleness?  Why?

What is the opposite of this particular Spiritual Fruit? Do you see any close cousins in Paul’s list of Gal. 5:19-21?

Come up with 3-4 ideas that you and your family can show true, spiritual kindness to someone. Make sure that you show it to the person who needs it the most!

Night-Time Prayer:

Sweet Holy Spirit, I need you. As much as I need water and air, I need You. Please fill me and flow through me… & allow me to see Your kindness today.

devotion by Patrick Nix

Kindness Wins

Read or Listen: James 2:13

The definition of kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. This is a way of life that is all about putting the needs of others above our own.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where people are consumed by the push from our culture to invest their energies into looking after themselves – earning money for all the possessions they want to buy, and investing time into nurturing their homes, possessions, and pleasures.  The results of this are that people have very little time left for others.  Busyness, tiredness and the “me-centered” perspective are draining us of the ability to show kindness to others.

Kindness is an attribute of God that He desires to reproduce in us.  When it comes down to it, we must be intentional, choose kindness, and let it become a natural part of who we are.

So, in what ways can we begin to develop this fruit of kindness in our lives?  I’ll suggest three places to begin.

1.  Sensitive words – practice using words that build up and encourage.
2.  Tender responses – practice letting your first response be considerate, helpful and forbearing.
3.  Unselfish actions – practice behavior that puts others first.

The Scripture tells us that if we ignore or refuse to do these things, we can expect unkindness and harsh judgment in return.  So, practicing kindness not only benefits the others around us, it benefits us too!  Kindness wins!

Prime-Time Discussion:

Think about the past couple of days.  How would you evaluate your words, responses, and actions when it comes to being kind?

In what situations is it the most difficult to practice kindness?  How can you be more kind at these times?

Night-Time Prayer:

Lord, help me to develop the fruit of kindness in my life.  Help me to think, speak and act in ways that build up and encourage those around me.

devotion by Steve Gillespie