Oct 8, 2020 … Gentle Like Jesus

Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 282 

Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...    Please take the time to take in images, song and lyrics from an anonymous singing of … Whispers of My Father - Gentleness … poignantly singing of how we must strive to become more like our Lord with the fruit of the Spirit - i.e., His GENTLENESS. 

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Highlight Passage:  Philippians 4:4-5 [ESV] ... 

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness [or “gentleness”] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 

…    Fellow Christians are exhorted to let reasonableness (i.e., “gentleness”) prevail in confrontations with others, … especially with other Christians. 

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Highlight Passage [Context] : …   Philippians 4:1-7 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK … 

… The Apostle Paul exhorting fellow Christians to avoid stubbornness and anger by being gentle with one another.  

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Reference Passage: …  Proverbs 15:1 [ESV] … 

1  A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  

… God’s advice, thru Solomon, about verbal confrontations.    

Reference Passage: …  Philippians 2:5-7 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to have the mind of Christ, who was willing to humbly empty Himself of God’s majesty in becoming a man.

Reference Passage: …  Titus 3:1-2 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK …  

… Paul, once again, exhorts Christians to use Christlike gentleness in confronting others with disagreements. 

Reference Passage: …  1Peter 3:14-15 [ESV] …  USE THIS LINK … 

… Peter, exhorts Christians, who are being challenged, to be ready to give answers … but with gentleness and respect.  

My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Tim Gustafson, AT THIS LINK  used the Jax characters in the old Dr. Seuss book [see photo], to illustrate our basic human nature to control things and confront others in anger.  

However, … as the Apostle Paul exhorts fellow Christians in the highlight passage; … as Christians, we are to follow the example of our Lord, aren’t we, …  to avoid angry confrontations. And, … as God’s word also charges us to use Christlike gentleness [see references passages above], we are to avoid angry division and hostility in the Church.  

Oh, but it’s hard, isn’t it?  So often we find ourselves being like those angry Zax, confronting others harshly.  But Solomon in the OT (see <b><u>Prov 15:1</b></u>) and the Apostles Paul and Peter in the NT, charge fellow believers to take the Messiah’s approach of gentleness and to quell our “Zax-like” tendency to anger and divisiveness.  

So, today, … when the Zax-in-us rises up, let’s pray that we can quell those feelings and use the humble, more gentle, Christlike approach as we confront those who differ with us.  

My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for showing us the way to quell our anger and confront others as You would, … with humility and gentleness. 

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray that all reading here will join me to follow Your lead, Lord, in confronting those who differ with us today with gentleness and grace.   … Amen

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Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.