OVERCOMERS With the Fruit of the SpiritExemplo

 Gentleness: Power Under Control  

  Gentleness may be the most misunderstood fruit of the Spirit. At first glance it seems to imply a misconception about Christianity that is shared by both the world and the church. When we become Christians, we enter into a savage spiritual battle against the forces of darkness contending for the souls of mankind, and there is no place for gentleness in combat — or is there. At face value gentleness gives the impression of believers being doormats and rolling over in the face of confrontation. Consequently, it creates the perception of Christians as weak and sentimental, wholly unable to engage evil in open combat at all much less overcome it with good.  

But nothing could be further from the truth. Gentleness is a measure of God’s identity — it is not us being gentle, rather, it is God gently reaching out to cradle a wounded world through us. As a fruit of the Spirit, it is nothing less than power under control. In Matthew 11:29 Jesus described Himself as “…gentle and humble in heart.” So, we are not to be gentle, we are to walk in Jesus’ gentleness as it matures in us through the Holy Spirit.  

Consider the way you would respond to a child who had fallen and injured himself. You would be very gentle and intentional in the way you dealt with the young one and his injury, cautiously restraining yourself as you tenderly bandaged his wounds. And just as Jesus is “gentle and humble of heart,” the Lord is transforming us into His same image (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29). This is the gentleness of the Spirit as He reaches to a fallen, wounded world through us so all who are weary and burdened can find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28).