Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This is the eighth installment in my series of posts about the fruit of the Spirit.

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom…For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:13, 16-18).

Far too often, we feel the need to make sure the world knows our wisdom. We go to great lengths to display our knowledge, seeking to impress others with the greatness of our character. But as the verses above beautifully emphasize, the best standard-bearer of wisdom is gentleness—our deeds gently and humbly prove the depth of our wisdom in ways our words cannot. If we worried less about what people think of us than what they think of Jesus, our actions would inevitably earn respect. We should be praying to exhibit the gentleness of Christ with every word on our tongues; it is He who deserves to be magnified. But what does Jesus’ definition of gentleness look like?

Firstly, gentleness means showing love and compassion toward the people around us when they fail, even when they lash out and wound us. Colossians 3:12-13 says, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” The very last part is the key to this passage—if God had repaid evil for evil, we would still be lost and bankrupt to the debt of our sin. Our Savior is so indescribably gentle with us. As Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “‘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.’” The gentleness of God promises us a haven of peace for our souls, and our gentleness should proclaim that to others.

The gentleness of the Spirit allows us to minister to those who are walking through the valleys of this earthly life. Even when our fellow Christians are experiencing pain we have never felt, we always have one thing in common—our relationship with Jesus. This connection means we are not only able, but expected, to gently exhort and uplift them. But sometimes I’m still speechless in the face of the pain I see. If you are burdened by the hurting hearts of your brothers and sisters in Christ yet struggling with your helplessness to do anything about it, remember two things. First, realize that words aren’t always necessary. While Job’s three friends might have turned out to be poor encouragers, they had the right idea to begin with. We are told in Job 2:13 that “they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.” Being present in someone’s life and being ready to listen is the best display of gentleness there is. Second, remember that you are not alone. You have the Spirit to guide you and to speak through you. If you do not know what encouragement to offer, pray for the words to say and the heart with which to say them. The Lord will always equip you for His work. Let Him be your speechwriter—and if the page is blank, be willing to stay quiet and listen.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:5, “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.” We’ve probably all wondered, “what do people think of when they think of me?” Human nature being what it is, gentleness probably isn’t the first thing we might want people to associate with us. As I said earlier, it is easy to want to promote our own wisdom and gain respect because of it. Yet if we are compassionately and consistently gentle with the hearts of those around us, we won’t need to talk about our wisdom because it will be self-evident. Gentleness always remembers that “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The best way to earn desirable respect is to place your focus on Jesus and strive to point to Him with every word and deed. And even if we never gain a reputation on earth, that isn’t where our treasures should be stored anyway. We have a Father in heaven who never overlooks a thing, and one day, our humility, compassion, and gentleness will all be worth it. In 1 Peter 3:3,4, Peter writes (particularly as an admonition to wives): “Let [your adornment] be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” Gentleness is seen by God; it is an imperishable treasure which is precious in His sight. When I truly seek to know and reflect the character of Christ, I realize that gentleness isn’t an option—it’s the natural outpouring of a heart transfixed by Jesus.