23 DAYS TO PENTECOST

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS ...LONGSUFFERING...

TEXT:  GALATIANS 5

¹⁶This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

 ¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

 ¹⁸But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

 ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

 ²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

 ²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 ²⁴And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

 ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

 ²⁶Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

KEY TEXT: Galatians 5:22 “…But the fruit of the Spirit is GENTLENESS…”

REFLECTION:  It occurred to me that I should group some aspects of the “Fruit of the Spirit” to make room for additional devotionals.  I considered grouping “longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness” into one commentary.  And then I thought again.  It would be a mistake to accent the first aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit “Love, Joy, and Peace” and to give short shrift to the next three.

In fact upon closer examination, it would appear that this aspect of “Gentleness” might prove more tangible, and understandable, than the others.  It might also prove to be one of more elusive aspects.

Jesus was gentle.  One translation renders our Lord’s invitation, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29).  Immediately some high-spirited soul will recall Jesus casting out the money-changers, or Christ’s severity toward the hypocritical Pharisees, to defend their discourteousness. Then we look again.  We see Jesus speaking gently to the woman at the well in Samaria who was living with a man who was not her husband.  We see Jesus gently defending and speaking to the woman taken in adultery.  We see Jesus patiently leading his weak disciples. We even see Jesus praying for his assassins. 

The Apostle Paul begs the Corinthians to be reconciled to God, “by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:1). He urged both Timothy and Titus to remember that the servant of the Lord “must not strive, but be gentle to all men,” (2 Timothy 2:24) and “speak evil of no man.” (Titus 3:2).  He nursed the new believers at Thessalonica, “We were gentle among you.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7).

James compels God’s people to remember, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality [without a partisan spirit that chooses favorites or is prejudiced to the point of thinking some are less worthy of our love], and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17).

Gentleness is imparted by the Spirit and it is improved by the refining of experience and education.  We train wild stallions to be gentle horses and we teach students to be mannerly and genteel.  But only those who have been filled with the Spirit will know the peace that attends the gentle heart.

Those filled with the “Spirit of Gentleness” are shocked and dismayed by the surge of crude, ill-mannered, and coarse behavior in our demoralized culture.  May God grant that we would never lose our sensitivity or our gentle spirit. Gentleness is not pusillanimous timidity. But it is graceful and polite as it advances the cause of righteousness.

Heavenly Spirit, gentle Spirit, O descend on us, we pray;

Come, console us, and control us, Christ to us portray.

PRAYER: Our Father in Heaven, Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost!  We are thrilled to know, “The Spirit answers to the blood, and tells us we are born of God!”  We pray that the Spirit that filled the disciples of the First Century would indwell the hearts of Thy disciples in this Twenty-First Century.  We would ask that we would know the fruit of GENTLENESS in our hearts today.   May our words be gentle.  May we be gentle in our reactions to the circumstances of life.  And may we possess a spirit of gentleness that would attract our world to our wonderful Savior!  In the strong name of Jesus we pray, Amen. “Our Father, &c.”