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Gentleness Is Not Weakness · In the Stillness Podcast

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  Hey y'all, it's friendly. Happy Friday.
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  We made it to the end of another week and I'm really looking
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  forward to what we're diving into today.
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  One of my specific prayers on my prayer walk this morning was
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  just that the Lord would show me more of His heart through
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  different attributes and characteristics in this passage.
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  And so whenever I came to read the verses that He had me in for
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  my quiet time, he definitely answered that prayer.
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  And I'm really looking forward to just sharing with y'all what
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  he taught me. So with that, we're going to be
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  in First Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 7 through 12.
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  Even though we could have imposed upon you our demands as
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  apostles of Christ, instead we showed you kindness and we're
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  gentle among you. We cared for you in the same way
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  that a nursing mother cares for her own children.
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  With a mother's love and affectionate attachment to you.
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  We are very happy to share with you not only the gospel of God,
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  but also our lives because you had become so dear to us.
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  Beloved brothers and sisters, surely you remember how hard we
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  labored among you. We worked night and day so that
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  we would not become a burden to you while we preached the
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  wonderful gospel of God with God as our witness.
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  You saw how we lived among you in holiness, in godly
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  relationships, and without fault.
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  And you know how affectionately we treated each one of you like
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  a loving Father cares for his own children.
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  We comforted and encouraged you and challenged you to adopt A
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  lifestyle worthy of God who invites you into his Kingdom and
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  glory. OK, before we zoom in, something
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  helpful to understand that I found fascinating was the
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  difference between an apostle and a disciple.
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  Because obviously we hear those terms a lot throughout
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  Scripture, but there is a difference.
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  So an apostle, they are specifically chosen and sent out
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  with authority. They're commissioned to go out.
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  And a disciple, they are a follower and a student of Jesus,
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  someone who hears and listens and then follows.
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  So all the apostles are disciples, but not every
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  disciple is an apostle. As believers, as Christians, we
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  are disciples of Jesus, but we're not necessarily apostles
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  in the way that Paul was. And Paul knew that he had
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  special authority. He could have really pressed
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  into that title and emphasized his status, but he really
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  didn't. He knew his identity, but it was
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  not rooted in his position. It was rooted in being a
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  follower of Jesus who had been commissioned and entrusted to
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  share the truth specifically with the Gentiles or non Jews.
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  He existed to lift the name of Jesus, not his own.
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  And this is a common theme all throughout the Bible.
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  But a leader in the Kingdom is ultimately A servant.
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  So we see Paul describe himself among them like young children
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  and he's implying gentleness here.
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  And I think gentleness today can get a bad rap because it might
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  appear weak or less than because we're so used to loud,
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  dominating voices. But biblically, gentleness is
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  one of the most powerful attributes and characteristics.
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  I want us to think about John the Baptist for a second.
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  We see in John 3:30 that he says he must become greater.
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  I must become less. That's him saying, Gee, he wants
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  more of Jesus and less of himself.
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  And this is the same John who was the messenger preparing the
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  way for Jesus in the wilderness. Yet he understood so clearly who
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  was greater than him. He even said that he was
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  unworthy of untying Jesus's sandals.
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  Now that is humility. That is strength under control.
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  And put simply, gentleness is love in action and it springs
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  forth from humility. So practically in everyday life,
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  gentleness can be seen as being a thoughtful person, being
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  considerate. You're putting others needs
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  above your own, being slow to anger like we see in Exodus 34,
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  six through 7. God describes himself as a
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  compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in
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  love. James 119 emphasizes to be quick
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  to listen and we're to be eager to learn.
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  So gentleness is not about trying to build your personal
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  image, it's about building and exalting the image, above all
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  Jesus Christ. So Paul then gives us this
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  beautiful combination of what leading like Christ actually
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  looks like. Paul says he was like a child
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  when he came to Thessalonica. This implies dependency.
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  He was vulnerable and he was approachable.
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  And in Matthew 18, four, Jesus says that whoever humbles
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  themselves like a child is greatest in the Kingdom.
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  Paul also says that he was like a nursing mother.
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  This shows his tender heart. He was nurturing and he was
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  genuinely affectionate towards them.
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  And Psalm 131, this is the passage that was really the
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  inspiration for my podcast, but it paints that same picture of a
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  quiet trust and closeness with the Lord and just picturing a
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  mother with a tender heart. And then we see Paul also
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  mention a father who is encouraging and comforting and
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  urging them to live lives worthy of God in the calling that they
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  have received. And Hebrews 12/6 reminds us that
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  the Lord actually disciplines those he loves.
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  So I believe there's something so significant about this entire
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  combination. We see a mother's genuine
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  connection and we see a father's protection, plus a childlike
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  faith and vulnerability. This is communicating softness
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  with strength and care with conviction.
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  But it reflects our Heavenly Father so beautifully.
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  And I'm personally so blessed and so thankful for loving,
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  faithful parents. But I do just want to say,
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  regardless of your background, where you come from, what your
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  relationship with your earthly parents looks like, that never
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  defines or limits your relationship with your Heavenly
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  Father because he is perfect in tenderness and perfect in
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  guidance. So another thing that stood out
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  to me is how Paul went from being a total stranger to this
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  church. Like he planted this church, it
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  did not exist before and then it becomes a unified family.
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  And honestly, in real time, like I've experienced that because
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  there are friendships in my life now that I haven't even had for
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  that long of a time, but because they're so rooted in the Lord,
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  and we have prayed together through seasons and grown in our
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  faith together. We've sharpened one another.
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  We've had difficult conversations but called each
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  other higher. I feel so deeply invested in
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  their own walk with Jesus too. And there's something different
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  about relationships rooted in Christ versus relationships that
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  are only rooted in just history or convenience and years of
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  knowing someone. And Paul even worked as a tent
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  maker. He did this so that he wouldn't
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  burden the Thessalonians financially or cause them to
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  even question his motives for preaching.
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  So yes, it's biblical to support church leaders, of course, but I
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  think that this is showing Paul's heart because he did not
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  want anything, absolutely anything to hinder people from
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  receiving the gospel. That is how much it meant to
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  him. And he lived in such a way that
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  he could say, look at my life like, imitate me as I imitate
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  Christ. This obviously was not because
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  he was sinless. He was still human, but because
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  he made it his aim to live above reproach and relied on the
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  Spirit daily, he had this credibility.
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  So I'm going to bring y'all a few questions that I was
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  reflecting on and asking myself through this quiet time.
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  Are you a living example of Christ for others through your
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  active pursuit of holiness and godly relationships?
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  With that, who are you spending the most time with?
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  What is filling your free time? And if Jesus returned right now,
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  today, is there anything in your life that would make you shrink
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  back in embarrassment and think, oh, that would not make my
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  Father proud? Are there sins in your life that
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  you're justifying, or are you actually learning from those
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  mistakes, repenting and turning away from them?
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  Y'all a loving father. He would not want his child to
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  walk into danger, especially knowing the fatal deathly
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  results. And Deuteronomy 10/12 through 13
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  reminds us that we are to fear the Lord, to serve Him with all
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  of our heart, with all of our soul, to walk in obedience with
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  Him, and to observe His commands and decrees that He gave through
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  Moses. The 10 commandments, we are to
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  observe those because they're for our own good.
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  And y'all this is because God wants to protect us.
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  He desires to give us good things, but it does take action
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  on our part, choosing what He wants over what we want, even
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  when it takes longer or the blessing is delayed.
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  Maybe it looks different than what we originally planned in
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  our head, but we also cling to the fact that His way will
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  always be better than what we could ever imagine.
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  So as we all head into the weekend, I just want to say, let
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  us be encouraged and comforted and continue to urge one another
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  to live for what truly matters. And may we let our gentleness
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  and humility and love make people curious about the church
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  and about Jesus because that is why we are here.
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  So let's move into prayer right now.
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  Father God, thank you for your gentle heart towards us.
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  Thank you that you are so tender, but you're also so
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  strong, and you nurture us and you discipline us because you
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  love us. It's for our protection.
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  So would you make us more humble and more gentle?
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  Would you help us to care more about lifting your name than
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  building our own name and title? Would you protect us from pride
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  and guard us from hidden sin? Would you provide us with
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  friendships that sharpen us and that refresh our souls and
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  ultimately just align our desires with yours?
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  As we delight in you, give us the desires of our heart that
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  are your desires and Your will for us.
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  Help us live lives that reflect you fully and just well.
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  We love you and we praise Your name.
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  We ask this all in your name, Jesus.
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  Amen. OK, well I hope you'll have a
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  wonderful start to your weekend, a great Friday and I will see
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  y'all on the next pod.