The Fruit of the Spirit is GENTLENESS.
Our background photo for today shows a new day dawning, during an early-morning work commute across Lake Washington. Have you ever considered the fact that day comes GENTLY? God doesn’t instantaneously turn the sun on like a light switch, blinding us all with the sudden, harsh transition from night to day.
No … God GENTLY brings the dawn to gradually dispel the darkness of night.
This is much the same way God draws people to Himself and His salvation. God could blind people with the LIGHT of the TRUTH … just as Jesus showed up in a blinding LIGHT to Saul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:1-19)
But this is not typically the way in which God works. God draws people GENTLY to Himself. It is in GENTLENESS that God dispels the lies of sin and darkness from people’s minds and hearts. It is in GENTLENESS that the LIGHT of TRUTH dawns in people’s minds and hearts.
Our daily verse today states: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the HOPE that you have. But do this with GENTLENESS and respect.” -1 Peter 3:15
Sunrises have a quality of hope about them. The sunrise in today’s background photo is particularly hopeful. Such brilliance and beauty on radiant display gives hope that the day to follow will be a beautiful one!
This is a great picture of what GENTLENESS looks like in the life of a Christ-follower. Because Jesus has taken away our sin, we have tremendous HOPE! We have a future with Jesus in Heaven forever! What fantastic HOPE! Death is not the end for us. No! Death is merely a doorway into the very presence of Jesus in Heaven!
Because we have such a fantastic HOPE, our lives will be characterized by PEACE and GENTLENESS. And others will notice. Others will notice our HOPE … they will notice our PEACE … they will notice our GENTLENESS … just like the beautiful radiant sunrise can’t help but be noticed!
The Fruit of the Spirit is GENTLENESS.
