Ramesh C. Reddy
Editor in Chief
Hi everyone :)
May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace! Amen! (Numbers 6)
Quiet Times (Psalm 137 and Philippians 4:5)
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5)
I found this statement of Paul so profound because he is writing this after he has been roughed up in prison. He was whipped with lashes and shackled in chains. Yet, he writes to the Philippians to tell them to show their gentleness.
What stuck out to me is ‘evident to all’. He is not telling them just to let their gentleness be evident to those whom they know or those who treat them well but everyone who comes across them. Wow! He wants everyone to notice their gentleness.
I asked myself how can Paul be talking about gentleness after what he has been put through?
For me the answer became evident when Paul stated, “The Lord is near.”
No matter what they are facing, he wanted them to be gentle knowing the Lord is at hand to help them. He wanted them to be an example of Christ to those around them and leave the judgment to the Lord.
I saw important implications for my own life.
It is not anything great for me to be gentle with those who are gentle with me. Anybody can do that. I want to be gentle with everyone especially those who irritate me, annoy me, and give me pain. Yup, I have faced all those things and sometimes still face them. I need to remember that my actions will reflect how people who know me as a Christian will view Jesus Christ. If my attitude is the way Jesus wants me to be, that will be evident to all and the credit will go to Jesus and not to me.
In the recent elections, though many candidates won, the credit went mostly to the president. I want my actions to reflect the credit going to Jesus Christ. I need to be focused on the Lord knowing He is at hand no matter what I am facing.
I ask you now dear friend what measure of gentleness do you have?
Dear friend, take it from me it is not easy being gentle especially when we are wronged and hurt. I know because I have been there and no matter what I did, I still felt isolated and hurt. This made me angry and resentful but what happened to me is nothing compared to what happened to Paul. Regardless, I am touched how Paul is able to talk about gentleness in his confinement. I do not know how much gentleness is evident to others from your life but it can be evident friend. All you need is Jesus and remembering no matter what you are faced with, the Lord is at hand.
Nothing happens without the Lord’s knowledge and He can change any situation around. I don’t know why some things are not changed but I am going to wait on the Lord, for those of us that do will mount up with wings like eagles, we shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint as stated in Isaiah 40:31
Maybe stuff happened to you that the pain is too much to bear and the last thing you want to be is gentle towards people. The Lord sees your pain friend. Stuff happened to me that I wanted to isolate myself from everybody. In a way I acted cold but it did not help anybody including myself. It only allowed bitterness to build on the inside and have ‘them against me’ attitude!
What gives me console is that the Lord is at hand and near no matter what we are facing. He can give us the strength to endure and if the Lord wants our gentleness to be evident to all, there is a reason. I cannot question that but faithfully pray and act that way depending on my Lord Jesus Christ!
May your gentleness flow in people’s lives as you turn to the Lord at hand! Amen!
Gentleness Enters Noticeably Through Lord’s Empowerment Now Enabling Seeking Saints! (G.E.N.T.L.E.N.E.S.S)/”What measure of gentleness do you have?”
Prayer:
Jesus, as I read your Word, I learn the importance of gentleness. I am also reminded that it is one of the Fruit of the Spirit. I want to exhibit gentleness to everyone around me especially when things don’t go my way. I cannot do it on my own for my flesh takes over when I am upset and don’t turn to you. Help me Jesus to seek you always and let my gentleness be evident to all including those that have hurt me. Please Lord for that is the attitude you want us to have. It is hard but you say it in your Word and I want to obey. Help us Lord in our lives to exhibit that gentleness so that others can see your love in us and come to you. May we be your instruments of peace and sow love where there is hatred, peace where there is discord as St. Francis of Assisi once prayed. Thank you Lord you are at hand and we can know we are never out of your love and out of your reach. You know what happens to us so help us to hold on to you and trust you even when we don’t understand. Please Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus for your help. Thank you Jesus for hearing us and answering us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
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