Prophet’s Reading Plan: Jeremiah 7- 9
And the fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness…
1 Peter 3:4 (ESV) but let your adorning be the hidden person of
the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in
God's sight is very precious.
If
you were asked to think of the gentlest people you know, a number of names of
quiet, soft-spoken, introverted individuals might come to mind. But these are
not necessary signs of gentleness. People can be quiet and soft-spoken and even
nice for a variety of reasons, and sometimes
these are covers for insecurity, fear or manipulation.
Gentleness
is a quality of a soft heart. Peter urges his female readers to take on a
gentle and quiet spirit. He doesn’t
say “be quiet!” but to have a quiet spirit.
If
we want to be gentle – tender and kind and compassionate – towards others, we
need to submit our hearts to the Holy Spirit. We need to quiet our hearts that
we may hear His voice even when there is noise and action going on around us.
He is available to guide and direct us in what we do and say, that we may
minister effectively to those around us. Learning to hear Him is a process, but
the important thing is that we respond when we do hear Him. Perhaps someone
hurts you and you sense that you are supposed to be thankful to God – be
thankful! Or you are standing in line for coffee and you have the idea to pay
for the lady behind you – pay for her! Even in the midst of fun and laughter,
be aware that God may ask something of you. This quieting of our hearts will
grow us in the fruit of gentleness as we learn to put God’s voice and opinions as
the priorities of our radar.
PRAYER AND MEDITATION
1. Think of someone who you believe is truly gentle. How is
their gentleness evident? What can you learn from this person?
2.
Make it your aim today to say “yes” to Jesus. Even now, determine
4 “checkpoints” for your day where you will stop and ask yourself, “Have I been
listening for the voice of the Spirit?”
3. Prayerfully come up with a good definition for the word
“gentleness.” How are you doing in this area?
How might you need to grow?
