like Christ (Ephesians 4:14-16), and part of the fruit, or results, of
that work is gentleness. Gentleness, also translated "meekness," does
not mean weakness. Rather, it involves humility and thankfulness
toward God, and polite, restrained behavior toward others. The
opposites of gentleness are anger, a desire for revenge, and
self-aggrandizement.
God wants us to give Him control of our lives. Relying on our own
logic, we have no impetus to submit to God's leadership. With the
wisdom given to us by the Holy Spirit, however, we begin to see why we
should completely submit to God as Lord of our lives. Human power
under human control is a half-broken weapon in the hands of a child.
But gentleness places our strength under God's guidance; it is a
powerful tool for God's kingdom.
Every person is powerful. We can speak words that influence others; we
can act in ways that help or hurt; and we can choose what influences
will inform our words and actions. Gentleness constrains and channels
that power. To be gentle is to recognize that God's ways and thoughts
are high above our own (Isaiah 55:9). It is to humbly realize that our
worldviews are shaped by exposure to sin and the misinterpretation of
experience. It is to accept God's worldview, reflecting truth about
the spiritual and the material worlds.
It is to our advantage to have a gentle attitude toward God because He
is omniscient and we are not. "Where were you when I laid the
foundation of the earth?" God challenges Job. "Tell Me, if you have
understanding" (Job 38:4). God knows everything of the past, present,
and future (1 John 3:20); we can't even get the weather forecast
right. Like a petulant teenager to his parents, we may cry out, "You
just don't understand!" but God does understand, more than we could
possibly know (Psalm 44:21).
When we are filled with the Spirit's fruit of gentleness, we will
correct others with easiness instead of arguing in resentment and
anger, knowing that their salvation is far more important than our
pride (2 Timothy 24-25). We will forgive readily, because any offense
toward us is nothing compared to our offenses against God—offenses
He's already forgiven (Matthew 18:23-35). Competition and sectarianism
will disappear, as the goal becomes less about ourselves and more
about preaching the gospel (Philippians 1:15-18). John the Baptist was
a fiery preacher, yet he evinced true gentleness when he said,
"[Jesus] must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).
Gentleness also means giving up the right to judge what is best for
ourselves and others. God is not as concerned with our comfort as He
is concerned with our spiritual growth, and He knows how to grow us
far better than we do. Gentleness means that we accept that the rain
falls on the evil and the just and that God may use methods we don't
like to reach our hearts and the hearts of others.
Finally, to live in a spirit of gentleness toward God is to accept His
judgment on people and issues. We tend to think it is gentle to go
easy on people and try to justify actions that God has called sin. Or
to let someone continue in sin without speaking the truth. But Paul
says, "If anyone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual
restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness" (Galatians 6:1). This
doesn't mean to be so soft that the sinner doesn't realize he's
sinned. It means to confront the brother in a manner that is in line
with Scripture—to be mild, loving, encouraging, and clear about the
holiness that God calls us to.
Jesus gave us the perfect picture of gentleness: "See, your king comes
to you, gentle and riding on a donkey" (Matthew 21:5), and now He
offers us His gentleness as a gift. If we allow the Holy Spirit to
lead us, we will be filled with fruit of gentleness.
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