Developing the Gentleness of Christ

Matthew 11:28-30

 

Most religious systems have created a concept of God that present him as, powerful, then wise, and in most cases vengeful and harsh. Consequently, multiplied millions of people cower before him in fear, or feel compelled to pacify him with sacrifices of all kinds, or in antagonism deliberately choose to ignore him.

 

These reactions, which frankly can find their way into our own thought lives, all fly in the face of what God intended for us to know and love about Him.

 

The following text plainly and surprisingly shows us the depth of feeling God experiences and yearns to demonstrate toward you and the whole of the human race; an attitude of gentleness.

Matthew 11:28-30

28        "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29        Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30        For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)

 

WHAT GENTLENESS LOOKS LIKE

1 Peter 3:3-4

3          Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

4          Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. (NIV)

If this kind of disposition is recommend for a wife, it must have already been a major element in God’s own personal trait mix. He does not require of us that which He is incapable of experiencing. Gentleness eliminates the tendency to make pretenses before people – outward appearances designed to impress or to change others; this kind of attitude ends only in manipulation.

 

HOW GENTLENESS IS WORKED OUT

Ephesians 4:2

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

 

The gentleness of the Lord is worked out only in ongoing relationships. The text commands us to be completely humble; to restrain our feelings and make them sensitive and sympathetic toward people, and especially our brothers and sisters.

 

This, admittedly, is difficult to do, but we must be about the business of allowing the Lord to fill us with His gentleness of heart; when problems come, and people put the squeeze on us, what will come forth from us will only be the humility of Christ.

 

ILLUSTRATION

On one occasion a nurse in one of the London hospitals complained to the Chaplain-General to the forces that she had been rudely treated by some patients. "Thank God for that," was the reply. "What do you mean?" asked the astonished nurse. "Why," said the Bishop, "if you are carrying a vessel and somebody knocks up against you, you can only spill out of the vessel what is inside. And when people misjudge and persecute us, we can only spill what is inside. In the case of a godless man, he will probably swear. But if you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you will manifest the gentleness of Christ, and make men astonished."

 

A deliberate placing of oneself in the place of those you live around. No doubt you have heard what has come to be known as an Indian proverb, “Don’t criticize and man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.”

 

CONCLUSION

The following story is an appropriate picture of the need for the gentleness of the Lord, and the fact that without it we can hurt others unintentionally:

 

At their school carnival, our kids won four free goldfish, so out I went Saturday morning to find an aquarium. The first few I priced ranged from $40 to $70. Then I spotted it--right in the aisle: a discarded 10-gallon display tank, complete with gravel and filter--for a mere five bucks. Sold! Of course, it was nasty dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a breeze.

 

Those four new fish looked great in their new home, at least for the first day. But by Sunday one had died. Too bad, but three remained. Monday morning revealed a second casualty, and by Monday night a third goldfish had gone belly up. We called in an expert, a member of our church who has a 30-gallon tank. It didn't take him long to discover the problem: I had washed the tank with soap, an absolute no-no. My uninformed efforts had destroyed the very lives I was trying to protect. Sometimes in our zeal to clean up our own lives or the lives of others, we unfortunately use "killer soaps"--condemnation, criticism, nagging, fits of temper. We think we're doing right, but our harsh, self-righteous treatment is more than they can bear.