As we accept Jesus Christ as Lord of our life, we begin to receive and experience certain gifts from Him. The Bible describes these gifts as the Fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told that the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This week’s Fruit is gentleness.

According to the dictionary, gentleness means:

• Mild as opposed to severe, rough or violent
  Proverbs 16:32 says that the person who is ‘slow to anger’ is better than the powerful man and the one who can rule his own spirit is better than the person who conquers a city.
  
• Meekness or being humbly patient or submissive
  Ephesians 4:2 tells us to be humble, gentle and patient with each other, making allowance for each others faults because of our love.
  
• Humility or a modest sense of one’s own importance
  
• To waive superiority or to voluntarily assume equality with an inferior
  Does this remind you of Jesus? Philippians 2:6-8 says that Jesus, who was in fact, God, made Himself nothing, taking on the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
  
• Having a willing disposition
  
• Absence of bad temper or belligerence
  If you find a Christian who is crabby on a regular basis, there is something wrong with his relationship with Jesus Christ because that relationship can’t help but sweeten the disposition and calm the spirit.

Gentleness is not a trait that is valued in our society – power and assertiveness will gain you more respect. However we are shown, over and over, in the Bible, that gentleness is a sign of a mature Christian. Knowing Jesus Christ and walking with the Spirit gives us the great power of Christ. Gentleness is that power under control.