Tag Archives: God’s Gift of Wisdom

Christianity, Fruit of Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit, Inspiration, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

Walking in Gentleness

person walking in wheat field.

Previously, I have been discussing the nine fruits of the Spirit. Recently I discussed both joy and kindness. Today I would like to take a closer look at the Fruit of Gentleness. Gentleness is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.”. I found a great list of synonyms for the word gentleness in The Collins Dictionary, which are tenderness, compassion, kindness, consideration, sympathy, and softness. The word gentleness can also be translated into the term meekness. Meekness is defined as, a kind, gentle, and humble spirit.

 

So how do we apply gentleness in our lives so that we may walk in the Spirit? First off we must apply all nine fruits of the Spirit together, we cannot pick certain ones we like. A good example of gentleness is when we are courteous to others. This could apply to both people we know and people we simply pass by during our busy day. You might have a co-worker or family member who did you wrong, whether they apologize or not you should first forgive them, and also you must not seek revenge. Seeking revenge would conflict with gentleness and the other eight fruits of the Spirit. Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”.

 

Another aspect of gentleness comes when we witness to non-believers. At some point in your walk with Christ, you will come across a family member, friend, or co-worker who is a non-believer and you might have the perfect opportunity to share the Gospel with them. The outcome can be unpredictable, they might accept it, totally reject it, or the might be on the fence. Mark 16:15 says, “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”. When sharing the Gospel with anyone we must be gentle about it and respectful, this is written in 1 Peter 3:15 which says,  “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”. We will have witnessed to people who totally reject the message of the Gospel, we must remember 1 Peter 3:15 to be both gentle and respectful. Just remember when you cannot get the message of salvation through to a particular person, pray that they will come to salvation. Romans 10:1 says, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”.

 

At the beginning of this article, I listed some of the synonyms for the word gentleness, one of them was softness. Proverbs 15:1 tells us, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”. I think this is a verse that every one of us needs to hear, and seek God to help us with daily. With our busy and hectic lives we can become quick to anger, I myself can be guilty of this. Whether you feel under the weather or received an unexpected bill in the mail, or your car won’t start, turn to the Lord first before turning to anger. If you forget and turn to anger, seek God to help you with being gentle. Romans 8:26 tells us, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”.

 

I challenge you to find parts in each day of your life to find an area where you can apply gentleness. If this is something you are struggling with seek the Lord. We must apply gentleness in our character along with the other eight fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are a package deal, you can’t have one of them without the others. Galatians 5:16-17 which says, “ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”.

 

  1. Ray, Rayburn W. “Barbour’s Bible Dictionary & Concordance.” Barbour’s Bible Dictionary & Concordance, by George W. Knight, Barbour Books, 1998, pp. 206–206.
Christianity, Inspiration

Seeking Wisdom

old fashioned book library

As Christians, we must realize the importance of seeking God for wisdom in our everyday lives. There are many aspects of our lives where we need wisdom. Wisdom is defined by Webster’s as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. We need the wisdom to have a good life balance, to make good decisions both for the long term and short term. If you want things to go well for your career, financials, and family, seek and ask God for wisdom. Proverbs 4:6 says, “Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.”.

I encourage you to read Proverbs 3 and 4. God appeared to Solomon and gave him the opportunity to ask for anything he desired. Solomon could have asked for wealth, material things, or long life. But he simply asked God for wisdom. He gave a good reason for asking for wisdom, which is written in Proverbs 3: 15: “Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”.

Knowing the importance of seeking God for wisdom is one thing, but applying it is another. To seek God, we must turn away from our sinful ways. Romans 8:7 says, “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.”. We often let ourselves become prideful before fully submitting ourselves fully to God. When we take pride in ourselves, and often become occupied with things of this world more than the Word of God. People often have a hard time getting serious with God because they are too busy being involved with the sinfulness of the world. Often people feel submitting to God means people of the world will think less of them. They are often afraid of losing their pride for something greater God has in store for their life. Newsflash you need to pop your bubble of pride before submitting to God. If the people of the world think less of you remember what Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”. This world is full of darkness because of sin, therefore we must submit ourselves to God and not the world. James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”.  Furthermore, Proverbs 11:12 says, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”.

Once you fully surrender yourself to God by being born again and stay in His Word daily, you just need to ask God for wisdom.  James 1:5 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”. If it is God’s will, then you must ask to receive it. Wisdom is part of God’s will for us who believe in Him. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Sometimes when you ask God for something such as wisdom or a healing, it might not be given right away. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”, we must base our faith on divine assurance from God’s Word.

In summary, we must first know why we need wisdom from God. Secondly, we need to surrender to God to receive His promises. Once we surrender and are born again, we need to seek and ask Him for the wisdom we need. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”.  Seek God today for the wisdom you need for moving forward in your life in His will.