Galatians 5:16-25 KJV
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gentleness Is:
An attitude of humility (James 1:21) stirred by a grateful spirit (Numbers 12:3) revealed in a tenderness towards other (Ephesians 4:2) sustained by a growing trust in God (Matthew 5:5).
To avoid spoiling watch for bitterness.
Imagine yourself living in a house.
God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and fixing the leaks in the roof and so on. You knew those jobs needed doing and so you were not surprised. But presently, He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts and does not seem to make sense.
What on earth is He up to?
The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of...throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage.
But He is building a palace.
--C.S. Lewis
So has been my journey of
motherhood. I didn't mean to turn this series into one on parenting. And it may
not continue to be so after tonight's post. But I suppose the Lord knew that this
was the direction that I needed to go in the most. Aside from Him, I've never
wanted anything more than to be a Momma. So on the days when being a Momma is
the hardest thing I've ever done, on the days when I crawl into bed crying from
exhaustion and fear that I'm doing more harm than good, on the days when I
wonder how on earth I'm going to make it until Brandon gets home,
on those days it is difficult to remember that my boys aren't a distraction
from more important work, they are the most important work. They are the most
important work because their souls hang in the balance (Proverbs 15:11). I have
the promise that the Lord will become their Salvation if they but believe on
Him. The most important job I have as a Momma is to point them to Christ in every
single thing I do. I must live Him, breathe Him, walk and talk Him. They must
know that He is the answer for every problem that they face.
And
just like the house that C.S. Lewis talks about, Christ is moving in and
tearing down the walls I've built around what I think being a parent looks
like.
I struggle with being
longsuffering and patient and in that same regard I struggle with being
gentle. I am hasty to dole out discipline in the midst of frustration and anger.
I have seen my boys flinch when I raise my voice, I’ve seen them cower in fear.
Is this how I want to raise my children? In fear? With a broken spirit? How do
I walk that fine line between instilling respect and causing true fear?
I choose gentleness. If I
raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fists, may it be only
in prayer. –Max Lucado
In Jesus Christ’s three
and a half years of preaching and teaching, not once did He turn away someone
in anger or frustration. The only time we see Him raise a hand in anger is to
turn the tables over of the moneychangers and cast them out of the temple
because they had defiled the house of God, they were profiting off of the sins
of God’s chosen people. (Matthew 21:12)
Instead, He gently rebukes them and tells them to go and sin no more.
(John 8:11)
I am not gentle by nature
but I can be gentle by obedience. –Lysa TerKeurst
If I want to be a Godly
Momma, I have to learn gentleness. I have to have an attitude of humility that
is stirred by a grateful spirit. Grateful that God has chosen me to be the
Momma to my boys. Grateful that He has blessed me with 2 of the most beautiful
and magnificent blessings I could ever hold in my heart. I must reveal a
tenderness towards them that is sustained by a growing trust in God, a trust in
God that believes that He will guide me in pointing them towards His Son. A trust
in God that puts my skill in parenting in His hands to be taught love, joy,
peace, longsuffering and gentleness. And I must turn to God with any bitterness or resentment that I may feel on the difficult days to avoid spoiling my gentleness. If I let those take up residence in my newly built palace then it will crumble around me. I may not ever be a perfect Momma, but Christ covers my flaws with His own gentleness.
In His gentleness, He
gives us grace.
Grace has a face. It is
the face of compassion, of comfort, safety, and acceptance. It is the face of
unconditional love. It is the face of a parent. Grace has a face…It’s yours. –L.
R. Knost
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