Blessed Are: The Gentle

Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5

Doesn't that sound like a verse anyone could get behind? Whether Buddhist, Muslim, Taoist, Christian, or any other religion which promotes any form of peace, this statement in and of itself could be agreed upon by most religious people.

However, the gentleness which inherits the earth will not be one we can obtain on our own. This is a gift we receive from the Spirit as we try to imitate Christ Jesus in our lives. Jesus says in Matthew 11:29, "All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves."

We often wonder why it is we need to be gentle though. Wouldn't it be easier if we could beat someone over the head with our Christianity? Yes. It would. That is why it is so important to be gentle. It shows gentleness as a gift from God in difficult situations instead of a work of self.


Here are some examples from Scripture where we are told to be gentle when it would normally be difficult:

Galatians 6:1 "Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you won't be tempted."
- Human Response: Judge and look down upon that person.

1 Thessalonians 2:7 "Although we could have been a burden as Christ's apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children."
- Human Response: Take what is our right and what we are owed.

2 Timothy 2:24-25 "The Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patience, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance to know the truth."
- Human Response: Have the last word.

1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes; instead it should consist of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes."
- Human Response: Our outward appearance is #1, no matter the consequences

Take some time to have an inward beauty treatment. The special today? Gentleness.

Set Apart

I thought of something interesting about Rahab when reading in the book of Joshua the other day. She was a industrious prostitute in the city of Jericho when the Israelites came to conquer the land. She harbored the spies Joshua secretly sent, and helped them evade the kings soldiers so that they could report to Joshua that a fear of the Lord and of His people had fallen on all the inhabitants.

When the time came for Jericho's destruction, these are the instructions that Joshua gave the people: "...'Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house will live, because she hid the men we sent. But keep yourselves from the things set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart he camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it. For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord's treasury." Joshua 6:16-19.

Everything in Jericho that wasn't destroyed was to be set apart for the Lord. I think that He included Rahab as well. Matthew 1:1-17 is an account of the lineage of Jesus, and verses 5 and 6 say, "Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David."

Rahab - the Gentile prostitute of a doomed nation - was in the lineage of the Messiah. It was by faith (Hebrews 11:31) she was set apart by the Lord and given the honor to be named, forever, as a grandmother to Jesus. Pretty cool, huh?

We can never fall too far to be set apart for the Lord's work. By faith, we are set apart, too.

Having Bad Days

One of the many things I am grateful to God for is His compassion on us. Even though God the Father has never experienced one for Himself, He understands we have bad days. Sometimes as Christians, there are days where our old sin nature is lurking very close to the surface. Perhaps it is a desire to succumb to an old addiction, behave in a way we thought we had abandoned, give up on something we know God had called us to, or just give up period. There are even the very bad days when we give in, too.


Recently, God brought to mind a verse as I was struggling with a bad day. In Matthew 11:28-19 Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.” We look at these verses as a call to come to Jesus for salvation, but they can also be a balm for we who believe and need encouragement.

The Father knows we are not little Energizer bunnies who keep going and going, and the Son is offering us rest through Him. Let's take Him up on that.

Take the time to get some sweet rest in Jesus.