‘But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness…Against such things there is no law’
‘A gentle answer turns away wrath’ (PV 15:1; Gal 5:22, 23)
GENTLENESS/MEEKNESS – DEFINITION
* To be lovely and gracious; a sign of true royalty or high social class: ‘gentleman’
* To be humble, not costly to maintain, to have a small opinion about myself.
* To be teachable, submissive and obedient; calm and sweet; to have ‘feminine’ skills
* To be a good listener and counselor, sensitive and wise to the leading of the Spirit
* To be moderate, mild, modest and pleasant, avoiding extremes of speech and action
* To be merciful and compassionate to others
* To be meek it means to endure injury with patience without grudge or lust for vengeance; to have power under control.
The opposite of gentleness is to be violent and harsh. It means to be wild, undisciplined, difficult and rude, hot tempered and rough in speech and appearance. It is taken to be a sign of low social class.
I was surprised to discover that the meaning of this word in Greek is quite different from the above definitions in English. Gentleness in Greek means using just a little energy to deeply influence someone’s life. It is like the soft touch of the bee on the flower, like the holy kiss of a friend that imparts a miracle. That is why meek people are the best friends you can ever have.
Gentleness is not natural. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer. This word means to be perfectly controlled emotionally especially under stress or in an embarrassing situation. It means to be composed, to have a permanent peace about you, never losing your temper. Except you have this fruit of meekness manifesting in you, you will not be able to totally obey the command that says: ‘Be angry and sin not’. Gentleness is the master of your anger making it possible for you never to be ashamed or regret your words and actions in time of provocation. Moses was the meekest man on earth. He was also capable of being very angry when need be. Meekness is not weakness but strength under the control of the Holy Spirit. It means that every drop of spiritual energy is used for the glory of God. Gentle people do not waste spiritual and physical energy! Selah! ‘
Dear Lord, please grant that I may be a gentle believer!!!
In Jesus name,
Amen!’