GENTLENESS

action. Gentleness, or kindness, is goodness in action. Paul believes the gentle-

ness or kindness of God is the foundation of our salvation,

That in ages to come he [God] might shew the ex-

ceeding riches of his grace in his kindness

toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7).

God reveals His goodness through the acts of kindness bestowed upon us in

Christ. You may perform many acts of goodness, but you need to perform them

with gentleness. Be gentle. God's children ought to be gentle people, gentle men

and gentle women, with good manners and respect one for another. Gentleness is

goodness in action.

One of my favorite Bible illustrations of gentleness is from the experience of

the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 38:1-13). The prophet had been cast into the dungeon

and was sunk down into the mud. Imagine: Jeremiah, the prophet of God, in a

dungeon, waist deep in the mud. A servant of Zedekiah, the king, told the king of

Jeremiah's situation and the king told him to get the prophet out of the dungeon

before he died. Now, that was an act of goodness on the part of the king. To get

the preacher out of the mud and out of prison was a good deed. On the way to

the dungeon, the servant stopped under the king's treasury and found some old

cast clouts (old pieces of leather or cloth), and old rotten rags, and a rope. At the

dungeon he saw the prophet in the mud and he threw him the rope, the clouts,

and the rags. Jeremiah put the rags and pieces of leather around him, under the

rope. When the servant pulled him out, the rope wouldn't hurt him. The rope was

goodness; the rags were gentleness. We like to help people, but sometimes we

are not very gentle. Sometimes we think people ought to hurt a little when we

help them out of the mess they are in. We think, "You got yourself in this mess,

and I am going to help you get out; however, you need to hurt a little so you will

remember it." However, if the gentleness of Christ flows through us, we will not

want to hurt them.

Paul said,

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault [down in

the mud], ye which are spiritual, restore [throw him a

rope and some clouts] such an one in the spirit of

meekness [gentleness]; considering thyself, lest thou

also are tempted [you are the next one who falls in

the mud and someone pulls you out without any

rags] (Gal. 6:1).

Be gentle in your dealings one with another. You do not have to be rude.

You can be gentle when you deal with God's children. When you see your

brother in a fault, be gentle with him. Be kind.