CATCH THE SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS

Galatians 5:22-23; Matthew 11:29;

Violence is one of the major problems in our society today. Consider the following statistics from the Bureau of Justice:

• In 2003, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced approximately 24 million crimes, according to findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey.

• In 2003 for every 1,000 persons age 12 or older, there occurred

• Murders were the least frequent violent victimization -- about 6 murder victims per 100,000 persons in 2002.

Also, as you look at these numbers, what is even more alarming is the fact that experts predict that violence will continue to rise in the coming years due to all the violent exposures that people get from video games, fictional series, movies, even sports. Case in point, it has been said that an average TV watcher sees 50 violent events a day, more than 18,000 violent events a year.

No wonder, violence has become an acceptable behavior for many people, especially in the way they to resolve conflicts. People have become so aggressive that they can easily run over or take advantage of others. Indeed, we’re all living in dangerous and difficult times.

In this context, we need to understand the necessity of living the fruit of the Spirit. The reality is - these attitudes we are learning are more needed today than perhaps ever before – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and for this morning, gentleness. We have to continually grow in these winning attitudes, so we can make our world a whole lot better.

Let’s focus particularly on the eight attitude, which is gentleness.

I     GENTLENESS EQUALS MEEKNESS:

In Galatians 5:23, the word gentleness comes from the Greek word Prautes. This word is the same Greek word used for meekness by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:5 when he said;

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

So, the word gentleness and meekness in the Scriptures carry the same idea. Based on the Greek word, the word literally means “strength under control.” It pictures a wild horse or animal which has been domesticated or tamed.

You see, power without control can destroy. Power under control can build. Take for example:

• Water out of control would be a flood destroying everything in its path. Water that’s under control would be water rushing through a dam turning turbines, generating electricity to light a city.
  
• A disease out of control can devastate the body and kill its victims, but a disease under control can produce vaccines and save thousands of lives.

Now, contrary to the idea that meekness is weakness, meekness is strength under control.

II    GENTLENESS EQUALS GREATNESS:

Reinforcing the idea that gentleness is far from the idea of being a weakling or spineless, the Scriptures provides some examples of great individuals who have exercised this virtue.

A. Moses

Moses who had the courage to stand against Pharaoh, the most powerful man in Egypt, and lead more than three million Jews out of their slavery was regarded as a meek man. The occasion of this statement in the book of numbers was the time when Aaron and Miriam severely criticized Moses’ leadership over Israel. He chose to show great strength by holding his peace and allowing God to deal with his detractors.

B. Paul

Next, the apostle Paul, who had the courage to spread the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire in the midst of strong oppositions from the Jews, he showed gentleness in dealing with some of the problems, which are present in the church of Corinth.

C. Jesus

Lastly, our Lord Jesus Himself. He is by nature gentle but He was never a weakling. He has all the power in His disposal, but He submitted Himself to God’s plan, even to the point that He unjustly suffered and ultimately killed. His submission to the Father is the supreme expression of meekness – strength under control.

All of them became great, not by intimidation or domination, but by their meekness knowing that God is in absolute control of their lives. Meekness is one of the keys to greatness. King David at the end of his life declared:

III   GENTLENESS EQUALS POWER:

The main question is – How can we practice gentleness? There are five elements we need to remember if we want to be gentle people. These five elements can be remembered by using the word – POWER.

P – Personality:

Our personality temperaments must be guided by our close association with Jesus. The more we read the word and pray, and allow God to guide us daily can we manifest His life.

Christians had often given the excuse, “It’s not my fault. That’s just the way I am. It’s in my genes.” I hope we will stop blaming others for our personality. If we allow the Holy Spirit to use the word, He can make us into the kind of person God wants us to be.

O – Outlook:

The only way we can be meek and gentle is to see other people through the eyes of Christ. We should go beyond our own needs in order to see other people’s needs. Other people will be attracted to meekness more than anything else. This is the reason why wives are exhorted to be gentle:

W – Words:

Words are very powerful, and they reveal either spirituality or carnality. The Bible reminds us to choose the words which will only help others, not those which will harm others. Abrasive words are never apart of gentle people.

E – Expectations:

Do you always expect perfection from others? You will surely be disappointed. Expecting and giving allowances for others to fail will help us deal with them gently. Remember, you can fail as much as another person. If you expect to be treated gently, then treat give the same treatment.

R – Response:

We need to guard ourselves from careless reactions. We have to be in control of our reactions at all times. Jesus Christ chose to remain silent when He was being insulted by His enemies:

It takes a lot of strength to take insults without retaliating. God desires that we produce this fruit of gentleness Just like Jesus; God’s help will be for those who will choose His way. He promise to the meek is that he will inherit the earth.