I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1–3)
When I think about the calling the Lord has given me as a follower of Jesus, I often think of big things. I’m called to make disciples, to share the gospel and teach others to obey. I’m called to be a committed wife and mom. I’m called to be a faithful church member. I’m called to do my work to the glory of the Lord. All of these things are important. However, I must admit that until recently, I’d never thought about how gentleness is a part of my call.
If you’ve placed your trust in the finished work of Jesus, you and I have the same call. We’re called to obey God with our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our calling is to walk in a manner worthy of what we’ve received. We’ve received Christ’s righteousness and ought to walk worthy of that gift.
Gentleness is part of our calling because gentleness displays the gospel to our neighbors. Our gentleness toward one another is important because it points to the one who lived and died for us. By his grace we can be gentle toward each other. As we remind ourselves of the gift we’ve received, we can pray that the overflow of our transformed hearts would reflect the gentleness of our Savior.
There are endless ways we can apply the gentleness we see in Christ to our own lives and the way that we interact with others. But perhaps the most striking and clear connection to the gospel is how we correct and restore those who confess sin. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:1, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” There is a call here to love your neighbor as yourself and treat the person caught in sin as you’d want to be treated. To restore isn’t to ignore someone’s sin (just as the gospel doesn’t ignore our sin). Instead, we are to correct or admonish, which if done in gentleness (humility) can lead to restoration.
Aren’t we glad God didn’t treat us as our sins deserved? We should do likewise. God doesn’t ignore our sin. Neither should we ignore our neighbor’s sin. But if we understand the depths of sin that we have been forgiven, we will restore our neighbor with gentleness and humility. We will display the same grace we’ve received from our Lord.
Jesus told his disciples that people would know we are his disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35). One outworking of our love for one another is our gentleness toward one another. It matters because it is about our Lord, not about us. So today we ask the Lord to help us walk in a manner worthy of the grace we’ve received and display the gentleness of our Lord to all.
Take a moment to consider the various callings you’ve been given: relationally, vocationally, spiritually. In what ways could you be gentle in those callings? How is gentleness different from the way the world usually works? Why is being gentle such a witness to the watching world?
Content adapted from Fruitful edited by Megan Hill and Melissa Kruger, ©2024. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, crossway.org.