Always Be Prepared…
Cultivating the spiritual fruit of gentleness
“…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)
Today we are considering the spiritual fruit of gentleness. In order that we might better understand what is meant by gentleness, we need to first look at what gentleness is not. Gentleness does not mean weakness, for God’s very power lives in each of us. Further, gentleness is not defined as timidity or indifference, as we are called as followers of Jesus to stand against oppression and injustices of all kinds. Gentleness does not mean a lack of integrity, indecisiveness, or fearful hesitation. Rather, the fruit of gentleness finds its sweetness in Christian love and compassion, understanding and empathy.
In the passage above, Peter presumes that we will have divine opportunities to tell others about our faith. But, he says we should do so with “…gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV). Perhaps you’ve witnessed the opposite of this form of evangelism in your own life. At times, Christian gentleness has been replaced by evangelistic bullying. Respect has been set aside for nothing short of a “holy” guilt trip. The invitation to experience life in Christ has been exchanged for judgement and the threats of…
