Gentleness means recognizing that the world around us is fragile, especially in the lives of other people. It is recognizing our own capacity to do harm, and yet choosing rather to be tender, soft-spoken, soft-hearted, and careful.
To be careful means that you are becoming aware.
Perhaps this idea of becoming careful brings us closest to the idea. People who know exactly their own flaws become the most gentle of human beings. They are aware and now live for others, showing deep-seated care for even the “least.” We need people like this to become our elders and pastors.
Their authority looks wonderfully dressed in gentleness. Perhaps that kindness is far more important than preaching ability or administrative prowess? The best pastors I have known are those who are aware of others and who are therefore gentle and careful when touching another person’s heart and soul.
Jesus is gentle, just as much as He is strong, and wise and bold.
You could say He was always gentle, even when He was bold and authoritative. Not once did Jesus show unkindness in His words or teaching or actions. Grasping this is the work of a lifetime. (Matthew 11:28-30.)
He was kind all the time, even when He was tired and hungry. And even when He confronted the hard-hearted Pharisees. Perhaps, when angered, it was directed at the sin which was destroying people. Maybe?
“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
Matthew 12:20-21, NLT
Some quotes:
“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson, but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto.”
A.W. Tozer
“The higher people are in the favor of God, the more tender they are.”
Martin Luther
“Perhaps no grace is less prayed for, or less cultivated than gentleness. Indeed it is considered rather as belonging to natural disposition or external manners, than as a Christian virtue; and seldom do we reflect that not to be gentle is sin.”
Norman Bethune
“Gentleness is an active trait, describing the manner in which we should treat others. Meekness is a passive trait, describing the proper Christian response when others mistreat us.”
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
“And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:1-3, ESV
I have always believed that maturity brings wisdom and growth, a beautiful journey to embark on. When it comes to spiritual matters, it is an opportunity to delve deeper into the richness of faith. I eagerly embraced the challenge of expanding my understanding and exploring the profound teachings. Jesus’ devoted disciples, too, were presented with invaluable guidance and encouraging direction:
15 “Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Luke 18:15-17
Jesus makes a special effort to get his followers to see their need. He voices the dictate that they must become children again; that they must learn that the basics are the core. We won’t grow out of them.
Real faith remains childlike even as it gets old.
As we see the children that are in our midst, we should see in them the pattern for us as we connect with the Lord, and with each other. It’s a paradox, but we mature as children, and this doesn’t ever change. Jesus told us that the Kingdom belongs to those whose faith is childlike.
Childlike faith seems to have three focuses:
Areas of intimacy, coming together in the presence of the Lord as His sons and daughters.
Areas of relationships, between each other as brothers and sisters in love with each other.
Issues of spiritual warfare, facing the daily battle with sin and darkness with a steady awareness of the ones alongside us.
Holding a child’s faith has an extraordinary power to shape our lives in profound ways. It’s a delicate balance of innocence, trust, and vulnerability that leaves an indelible mark on our hearts and souls. The childlike belief in something greater than ourselves and it opens up a world of possibilities and invites us to embrace the wonders of the unknown with open arms.
Our Father is with us.
But what does it truly mean to hold onto a child’s faith? It goes beyond the simple act of believing in something beyond our understanding. It requires a humility that allows us to acknowledge our own limitations and embrace the beauty of our imperfections. In a world that often values strength and self-assuredness, the child’s faith reminds us of the importance of embracing vulnerability and being open to being led in fresh ways.
Picture for a moment the scenario of being suddenly clothed in nothing but our humility. It is a humbling thought, isn’t it? In that state, stripped of all pretenses and facades, we are forced to confront our true selves. We are reminded of our humanity, and our weakness with the swirling world around us. It’s in those vulnerable moments that we truly come to appreciate the depth and power of a child’s faith.
In a society that often prioritizes material success, power, and self-exaltation, we may find ourselves striving to shed our humility in favor of more desirable qualities. However, it’s precisely in cherishing our humility that we can find true wisdom and grow into more compassionate and merciful people. It’s through humility that we can connect with others on a deeper level, understanding their joys and sorrows with a genuine empathy.
Let’s embrace the innocence of a child’s faith.
Let’s allow it to ‘infect’ our lives with a sense of real wonder, curiosity, and a supernatural love. Let’s never forget the lessons it teaches us about the importance of embracing humility in our journey through life.
Let’s hold onto a child’s faith tightly, for within its grasp lies the power to transform our lives and the world around us. May it be a constant reminder of the child-like beauty that exists within each and every one of us.
Humility is the stuff Jesus uses to make a place for His Kingdom.
Becoming a person of childlike faith will take a lifetime, that is why we should stay small and keep growing in our dependence on Him.
“God created the world out of nothing, and so long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us.”
“He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant.”
(Isaiah 42:3)
Somehow, and someway we often get ‘side-tracked’ in our thinking. We get confused and the enemy makes sure we don’t walk in the truth. At this present time, it does seem like some of the Church is nothing more than an exclusive club for the wonderful. It seems that those who attend are the ‘achievers,’ those who have somehow arrived at a certain acceptability.
They are there for social reasons–they eschew any real intimacy with Jesus.
For many of us, we are taught that we must have it all together; more or less complete and functioning at an acceptable level to follow Christ. We keep thinking if we work really hard then we just might arrive at a place of acceptable ‘perfection.’ This has become our religion now, this “gospel by achievement.” It has definite rules and guidelines to keep. We try to manage our guilt somehow.
We are the weak and fallen
But what about the broken? The ones who are messed up, big-time?
We’re the depressed, bipolar, the confused, the discouraged. Some of us are disabled, and weak. We’re the chronically ill. Some of us must be medicated to function properly. We are ‘zero’–there is nothing that will commend us to God. Often we have the impression that we are ‘second class’ believers, who really don’t fit into the modern Church. We are the ruined ones.
But does Jesus agree? Is His Church made up of only ‘completed’ people, those who have it all together? Do we need to become accomplished before we are acceptable? (I guess this is a time for serious questions.) Perhaps we need to find some answers. Perhaps we won’t like what we find.
After over 40 years of following Jesus (most of the time in ministry) I’m starting to realize that I’ve had much of it all wrong. I’ve read that Jesus receives the lame, the tax-collector, the leper and the whore. He deeply loves the unlovable (in spite of what the Church might say.)
I happen to believe that true grace is ‘foolish’ to man, and avoids human attempts to explain it. (Forgive me God, for not seeing this before.)
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
(Zephaniah 3:17)
His love is completely undeserved.
It comes without preconditions. He loves us when we are terribly lost and fallen. It’s ‘agape,’ which is a totally different kind of love. It has no bounds or limitations. It is unconditional. It is strong. It grabs us and takes us to a place we’ve only dreamed about. We are irrevocably changed when we touch His grace. We discover an intimacy that will meet every need we have while here on earth.
It is a relationship and not a religion.
We’re so easily confused about this. This ‘world-system’ desperately wants to confuse us. We quickly discover that Satan doesn’t just dislike us, he hates us, he detests our intimacy with the Lord Jesus. He marshals all of his demonic strength in order to obscure this truth. It’s funny, but Satan likes ‘religion.’ And he hates our nearness to Jesus. (2 Cor. 11:1-3).
We do see our need, and we must cry out for mercy.
We come to know the forgiving Lord. Our faith in Him must be true–tested. There are some who know the ‘furnace’ of weakness or disability. Others discover that they’re messed up inside. Life can get intense sometimes, and without Jesus we would have destroyed ourselves.
All of us are seeking forgiveness, and yet somehow we think that He won’t accept us. Often we more or less stop going to church, pray or read His Word. We are becoming hardened, and it seems like we are slipping into some sort of a ‘spiritual daze’. Our spiritual malaise is starting to look like it’s permanent.
I must tell you that God loves you far more than you ever dreamed.
He is completely enthralled by your faith in Him. He doesn’t pull away from the ‘sick’ and the weak. You must understand that intimacy is Jesus’ idea to ‘heal’ you. He daily draws us to a place of friendship with God. Intimacy with Jesus is God’s exclusive way of ‘turning us’ holy. That’s why Satan militates against “first love” faith.
You’re the Church. You’re the “audible/visual” part of a fellowship. You display God’s love and grace so others can see it.
We fully understand that we are the weak and the flawed. And yet you are a declaration of grace to all who really can see. They’re looking at you and they want to see the Father’s loving acceptance. We maybe the fallen, but we’re never the forsaken.
We ‘show’ the deep love of Christ to even the ‘uttermost,’ even as we enter the room.
There is a repentance in all of this. We need to change our mind about the sinfulness that we have been committed to for so long. But I truly believe it’s genuine intimacy with Jesus that cures us, not keeping rules or having excellent doctrine. We will never be ‘good’ enough, but amazingly, even in our ‘unfixedness’ we are deeply loved.
“He knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. “
“They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”
“But among you, it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.” Luke 22:26, NLT Jesus Christ turned everything upside down. I know of no other teaching that might disturb his disciples as “humility.” I’m sure that they shook their […]
Jesus Christ turned everything upside down. I know of no other teaching that might disturb his disciples as “humility.” I’m sure that they shook their heads and replayed what Jesus had said.
(Maybe they were looking for a loophole?)
This is not something you just “click into place,” and move on to the next thing. Rather it’s a complete overhaul of living as a disciple. Humility is a process, not an event. We will never move beyond it.
“So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Matthew 18:4
We may think children are wonderful, but honestly, they’re hardly the stuff of the Spirit. And then Jesus shows up and we’re suddenly schooled even further. Generally, the attitude of a child can be seen as innocent, simple, kind, eager, curious, relying on others, and enjoying simple things.
As a bonafide broken believer, I find I’m quite consumed with “me.” Life can revolve around me. The awful nature of my depression, my mental illness is I get absorbed with it, and it is all I think about. And I hate this. It isn’t right. It isn’t healthy. It doesn’t honor God.
“If thou wouldst find much favor and peace with God and man, be very low in thine own eyes. Forgive thyself little and others much.”
The following list was written by Mother Teresa. It sheds further light for us. Her discipleship was radically different from mine, and although I have much– I still have very much to learn.
Broken Believers 