August 21

Be Humble and Gentle

"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."

Ephesians 4:2

 Jesus was humble and gentle and he made plenty of allowances for other's faults because he was love. Humility and gentleness go hand in hand. Jesus was the Son of the Most High God, and yet he lowered himself to the role of servant; now that's humility! He was also gentle. This is not to say that he was weak or allowed others to walk all over him. He never let the Pharisees get away with anything until it was God's plan for him to die. Stop and think about how Jesus dealt with those around him. How did he treat those who were hurting, or even with his seemingly dense disciples? He was very gentle and patient with them. Why? Because he loved them, he made allowances for their weaknesses. This is was grace is all about. We are told to follow in our Master's footsteps, and so we must strive to fulfill the commands of this text. But how? Grace is the key. When we consider the grace that has been bestowed upon us: our sins forgiven, sonship, eternal life, etc., how can we possibly not be patient with others? It is only when we fully appreciate the lengths to which God has gone in bestowing grace on us that we will be able to fulfill this text effortlessly. Our love and appreciation for our Lord and all he has done for us will prompt in us the actions that grace demands. The fruitage of this appreciation will be humility, gentleness and patience with all with whom we come in contact, but especially with those who are walking this narrow way with us. Freely we have received of God's grace and freely we give it to others. 

Father, you have blessed us so! Your grace has reached us and pulled us from the miry clay of sin. You gave your most precious possession for us, your Son, that we, though undeserving, might have life. Keep us humble, Lord. Nothing we have done has made us sons and daughters of the King, except our throwing ourselves upon your mercy. Help us to be gentle with everyone we meet. Help us, dear Lord, to extend that same grace, so freely given us, to others. May we always be patient with others, making allowance for their faults, just as you have made allowance for ours. Thank you for Jesus and his blood that has washed us whiter than snow. May we never take your grace for granted! Amen