Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 3

  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near Phil. 4:5

     " Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving..." These are two of the verses I learned as a kid and two of the most famous verses in the Bible, Phil. 4:4,6. Poor verse 5. He's like the middle child od Bible verses. Why didn't we memorize that? It's short enough. If your parents are bribing you to memorize verses, it's a gimme.

     As a male, I'm not sure I wanted to be known as gentle growing up. It's like all the girls writing in my yearbook what a nice guy I was. I wanted to be known for something a little more desirable - more masculine. If you were picking a basketball team, would you pick the fighter or the gentle guy? Now, at this age, I don't mind being considered gentle. The other day I was at a sandwich shop where they give free suckers, like Sugar Daddys or as I call them, crown removers, and a little kid was upset sitting at a table near me that he didn't get one. I reached over and handed him mine and he literally ran away. I guess the old saying, "Don't take candy from strangers" is still in play. What I wanted to tell him was that I was the most harmless person he would ever meet. Harmless - that's something you don't want written in your yearbook.

     Gentle people don't usually star in movies. They don't get the girl in Rom Coms. It's not a trait we value at all yet Paul says that considering God is watching you and He's coming back soon, let Him see you being gentle. That means that I might be the supporting actor in people's biography. That means that I might be the one who is going around putting people back together. It suggests that we are living not for ourselves and our rights and feelings but rather concerned with others more than ourselves - which is what love is, what the great commandment is. Remember that meekness means yieldedness which doesn't mean weakness. Weakness is definitely an undesirable trait, and we aren't commanded to be weak. Meekness means we have the power and right to be in control, to be about ourselves, to take charge, yet we yield it willingly to serve others. That's what Paul is getting at here.

      God is watching you - what is he seeing? Gentleness or assertiveness. Self-centeredness or love? People are watching you - what are they seeing. Gentleness or abrasiveness. Self- centeredness or someone that they can take their problems to? Be known for your gentleness!