The Fruit of Gentleness

Galatians 6:1

Watch on YouTube – Watch on Facebook

Number of years ago my aunt had a new baby boy, when she brought him home, the older two kids were really excited to play with him, try to play catch with him, and pick them up, and bounce him around, which made her extremely nervous. She had to sit them down and explain how they needed to be gentle with their new baby brother.

She used the illustration of a flower. She showed them a flower, how beautiful, pretty it was, how nice it smelled, but how important it was to be gentle when it came to handling a flower. Because if your rough with it, it falls apart. So also their baby brother. They need to be gentle with him, gentle as he grew older and eventually would become strong enough to play rough and tough with them.

God encourages us as Christians to be gentle to one another. In Galatians chapter 6 verse 1 he writes this:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. (Galatians 6:1)

What he’s saying here is that when a fellow Christian falls into some very noticeable sin, rather than coming to him and harshly saying “you’re a horrible, worthless sinner” or maybe worse, gossiping to everyone else around about it. “Did you hear what so and so did?” To approach the situation with gentleness. With care for their faith, coming to them one on one, to show them where they’re wrong in the hopes that they might say they’re sorry. So that you could also show them God’s forgiveness.

In fact God has given us an amazing gift as Christians. An amazing tool that when a fellow Christian repents of their sins, when they say they’re sorry, we have the right to say “you are forgiven.” “God has taken away the guilt of your sin.” “You’re right in God’s sight.”

What an amazing privilege that is. So when it comes to fellow Christians may we act in a spirit of gentleness. Just in the way that God has been gentle with us not giving us the judgment that we deserve but rather being gentle for Jesus sake that gentleness be reflected to one another. Amen.