Gentleness wins

Gentleness comes with a pretty hefty promise: 'Blessed are those who are gentle. They will inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5 GWT). Awesome!

But what is gentleness? It's all about power under control. Not the stereotype of quietly avoiding making noise, but rather a restraint that makes room for God to work. Practical example: when someone's really wound us up, it can be hard to hold back on any power we have to humiliate them/get revenge. But this is where the power of gentleness comes in. To restrain ourselves from bringing more pain to a situation. And instead to act in favour of allowing God to have his way.

In Titus 3:2 (NIV) we learn that following God involves being 'gentle toward everyone.' That's great in theory, but... in real life we're not alone if we still find sharpness, gossip and arguing in our repertoire, with a need to make room for patience, selflessness and peace.

Yes, it's a difficult challenge, but let's learn from Jesus, the almighty and gentle King. How much power did he have? A lot! He didn't refuse to use his power; he chose to exercise it in gentleness. The cross is the strongest display of love we'll ever see, but Jesus didn't fight his way there. He allowed God to use him.



So what now? How much of your own power do you need to hand over to God, to let him use you? Talk to him today about managing the handover to true gentleness. It's a win-win!





— SCRIPTURE —

'Blessed are those who are gentle.' Matthew 5:5 GWT
— SOULFOOD —

Deut 25-27, Matt 9:14-26, Ps 44:17-26, Pro 12:12-14