NOVEMBER 1
GENTLE JESUS
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness.
2 TIMOTHY 2:24–25 RSV
Jesus was a gentle person. When He came into the world, there were few institutions of mercy. There were few hospitals or mental institutions, few places of refuge for the poor, few homes for orphans, few havens for the forsaken. In comparison to today, it was a cruel world. Christ changed that. Wherever true Christianity has gone, His followers have performed acts of gentleness and kindness.
The word gentleness occurs only a few times in our English Bible. It is spoken of in connection with the three Persons of the Trinity. In Psalm 18:35, it is the gentleness of God; in 2 Corinthians 10:1, the gentleness of Christ; and in Galatians 5:23, the gentleness of the Holy Spirit.
Charles Allen points out, “In one’s disdain of sin, one can be harsh and unkind toward a sinner . . . Some people seem to have such a passion for righteousness that they have no room left for compassion for those who have failed.”
From some unknown poet comes these meaningful lines:
Just to be tender, just to be true,
Just to be glad the whole day through,
Just to be merciful, just to be mild,
Just to be trustful as a child,
Just to be gentle and kind and sweet,
Just to be helpful with willing feet,
Just to be cheery when things go wrong,
Just to drive sadness away with song,
Whether the hour is dark or bright,
Just to be loyal to God and right
Just to believe that God knows best,
Just in His promise ever to rest,
Just to let love be our daily key,
That is God’s will for you and me.
Our Father and our God, You have shown me such great kindness and gentle mercy. Teach me to be gentle and kind too. Help me reach out to the lost in compassion and love to bring them gently to You through the person of Jesus Christ, through whom I pray. Amen.
Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010. Print.