Philippians 4:1-7… “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” vss. 4-5
Sometimes we don’t always catch the little reminders that Paul gives us in his letters. Here he catches our attention with his exhortation to rejoice always, and his next words seem almost an afterthought. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” But it’s not an aside, this is probably one of Paul’s deepest desires for believers. It even made it into his list of nine special fruits of the Spirit that he sent to the Galatians.
So what is this gentleness that Paul advises his readers to make known? First of all it’s not about passively accepting whatever others do or say. Gentle folks can in fact be remarkably assertive, but in a non-aggressive, non-threatening way. There is tenderness and kindness in their exchanges and we will always be able to see the love in their eyes. They will never use hurtful or demeaning language. They are indeed the salt of the earth!
Our culture has decided in recent years that gentleness is a threat to our way of life and leaders are promoting toughness as an alternative, a kind of hyper-masculinity. They say that gentleness is turning us into a nation of weaklings! This is a lie that deserves resistance. We are not called to be cruel, mean, or tough in our interactions. We are the gentle servants of the gentle Lord Jesus, and he has shown us a better way!
Thought for the Day: Why is toughness so appealing?
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