The Fruit of Gentleness

Happy Sunday! It is hard to believe that we are in the eighth week of our study on the fruit of the Spirit. Next week we will wrap up, and then we will focus on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I so look forward to sharing with you in the upcoming season.

Our focus for the last, om, two months has been the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians chapter five. These are byproducts of our connection to the Holy Spirit of God. Today we look at the fruit of gentleness.

Over the years, I've seen some who say they are Christian, and they act like bulldozers for God. It's confusing to watch. Several years back, I noticed some people were so focused on passion for God that they ran over anyone that encount-, they encountered and showed no mercy and no fruit. Gentleness is to be one of the ways people see Christ in us. The best definition that I have found for gentleness is power under God's control.

There's some great biblical examples of this. In the Old Testament book of Numbers, we find a story of a gentle man in a family squabble. You know him well: Moses. He was a powerful man, probably the most powerful man on the planet at the time. Plus, he was a gentle soul.

He was a celebrity, and people were jealous of him. The children of Israel saw unbelievable, miraculous things happen through his leadership. But Moses's brother Aaron and his sister Miriam had some issues. It began when Moses married a woman named Zipporah, and his siblings were not thrilled.

I want to read to you from Numbers chapter 12, verses 1 to 10. We are told, "Miriam and Aaron spoke out against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, 'Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?'" The jealousy has come out. We're told, "The Lord heard it."

Now we are told about Moses that "he was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!' So the three came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the doorway of the tabernacle, and He called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward."

Then God spoke, and He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord. When they, why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" God asked.

We're told, "The anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. And then Aaron turned towards Miriam, and there she was, a leper."

Now let's stop there for a moment. The original text seems to indicate that Miriam started this complaining. Aaron and Moses see their sister now a leper, and they had some choices to make. Moses could have laughed and said, "See what you get for messing with me." And Aaron could have played the blame game and said it was all Miriam's fault.

But let's look at their responses. In verse 11, we see Aaron's response: "Aaron said to Moses, 'Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, and which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned.'" Aaron immediately confessed he was a part and of the problem, and he did not throw his sister under the bus. He was guilty, and he sought forgiveness. He thought maybe he was next.

We see Moses' reply in verse 13: "So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, 'Please heal her, O God, I pray!'" This is a perfect example of gentleness. Remember the definition: power under God's control. Had you been Moses, with this type of power over your siblings or over your enemies, what would you have done?

Another name for gentleness is meekness. Meekness is not weakness. In our story, Moses is not in a position of weakness; he is in a position of strength and power and right. But look what he does. He does not lash out. He does not celebrate his sister's leprosy. He seeks restoration and healing for her.

When we are gentle, we are not sensitive about ourselves. We do not place our feelings first. We are not always on the defensive. All of that's gone. To be gentle means that we have finished with ourselves all together and that we put the well-being of others before ourselves, even when we are right. And that's what Moses does here.

Let me repeat that. When we are gentle, we are not sensitive about ourselves. We do not place our feelings first. We are not always on the defensive. All that's gone. To be gentle means that we have finished with ourselves all together and that we put the well-being of others before ourselves, even when we are right.

The most powerful example of gentleness I know of is found in Jesus. Remember, as He was on the cross, totally innocent, Jesus said these words: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Hanging on that cross, Jesus could have called down the angels from heaven and wiped out all enemies of God. And what did He do? He prayed for those who killed Him. He prayed for their forgiveness.

Gentleness is such a beautiful sight to see. Aren't you thankful that God has been gentle with you? You know, if we got what we deserved, I imagine all of us would have been long gone by now. God has been gentle with us. Be gentle in this world that needs that example.

Pray with me. Lord, thank You for those great examples of power under Your control, of people that do not lash out, of people that look out for the interest of others before themselves. Father, help us in that struggle of putting away ourselves, and us decreasing and You increasing. Help us to bear fruit every day that brings people to You. In Jesus' name, amen. God bless.