Skip to main content

Gentle

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14 NIV

This week one of my friends was telling me that they read all of the blog posts I write. That alone makes me feel uncomfortable. I can't believe people, especially friends, would take the time to read what I write. After all, I'm just a normal guy.

My friend went on to say that I have a gentle way of sharing the messages. That description hit me differently. At first I thought, "well that's cool." I imagine Jesus in most cases being a cool cucumber. I think He was able to present the truth with a heavy dose of grace. Then I thought, “Isn’t that how we should always share the Gospel? Shouldn’t we strive to be gentle like the Lamb?”

I picture Jesus as a gentle, calm man who was slow to anger. His message was revolutionary and challenging at times, but it was always delivered in a way that oozed love. He provided restoration to those who experienced His miracles. The restoration He provided went far beyond the physical and permetated the spiritual. To those that heard His message, I am hopeful they heard peace, love, redemption, and grace. This King would rule in a way no other had before or will after.

Christianity is different. As followers, love is the number one characteristic others should see. It is the way they should know who our leader is. 

Shouldn't our message, as followers of Jesus, always be gentle? Shouldn't what we say be filled with grace and truth? Shouldn't the truth feel uncomfortable at times but be accompanied with a strange dose of grace that allows us to be gentle in our message? 

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anchor House: Week 6 Buried Treasure

When I started at Anchor House I committed to write at least one blog per week. Writing is something I enjoy and a way I get to interact with God. I can recall wanting to write about Anchor House in the days before I started, but my knowledge was limited..  To be honest I felt like I knew three things before I joined Anchor House. First,  Anchor House was a mission at Port Manatee (the Seaport, not the jail) Second, I knew it was a mission that my church, Westside Christian Church, supported with our Show Love funds.  Third, I knew God was calling me to serve Him there. However, what happened at Anchor House day to day was something of a mystery to me.   After being here for a few weeks I have learned quite a bit. I know where to look to find out when ships are coming in or departing.  I have learned that I am just tall enough to hit my head where most seafarers don’t. I have learned that flexibility is the key to serving at a seaport. One of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Waiting

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalms 27:14 NIV Waiting is hard. When you are waiting to take part in an activity you enjoy or are waiting to hear very important news or are waiting for something to arrive, each minute you wait can feel like eternity. In this instant access age, I think it's even harder. We want it now and if we can't get it now we want updates.   If you've ever ordered from Amazon, you know they are experts in this. They send notifications to update you as to where your package is on the delivery route. Once your package arrives, they take a picture and send it to you. That way no matter where you are you get to enjoy knowing your waiting is nearly over.  To me there is no agony like the pain of waiting for a pizza delivery. You're hungry and looking forward to delicious pizza. Time seems to slow. Seconds tick away like minutes and minutes like hours. Many of the pizza chains have added their own update...
Post a Comment
Read more

Anchor House Week12: Constant

I've gotten almost a week behind on my reflections from Anchor House. It seems there just isn't enough time in the day.  The way these blogs come together is different from week to week.  Some weeks God puts a message clearly on my heart. Others it feels like a struggle to put "pen to paper".   This week was one of those that I knew exactly what I'd write about. However, each day passed and I missed the opportunity. You see, I write best in the mornings. Not sure if it's the limited distractions, a product of my habit of practicing my spiritual disciplines in the morning, or something else entirely. Most of my afternoon writing is intelligible and requires numerous edits.  In the AM, however, they seem to make more sense.   What's funny is that as I am writing, I am feeling God moving.  He's moving from what I thought I was to write about to what He wants me to share. These shifts and changes are a part of the shipping industry.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more