“Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29-30 (PHILLIPS)
One of the special memories that I will forever cherish in my heart would be the privilege to have seen the way my grandfather treated my grandmother. He did it with so much care and love. No matter how old they were, he opened the door for her, made her coffee, supported her in whatever she was passionate about, and brought out the best in her. To me, he was such a good example of what "a gentleman" should look like
Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is part of God's character. If we read through scripture, it is evident that Jesus not only approached people with a gentle spirit but he was the perfect illustration of a gentleman on earth. While others were busy striving for fame and entitlement, He stopped and looked with love and acceptance into the eyes of those who were labeled as outcasts. He passionately pursues us, yet gives us the free will to accept this gift of new life through Him. He reaches out His hand, picks us up out of the mess that we are in. He takes our heavy and dirty robes of shame and fear and clothes us with righteousness, love, and grace.
And as we embark on this new journey with Him, leaving behind our past, we know that no matter what season we might face, we have Him as our gentleman right beside us.
And when I cannot smell the lilies in the field or even when I see the thundering clouds approaching, there is absolutely nothing that can compare to the warmth of His hand and His presence, knowing that winter with Him is better than any spring season without Him.
We struggle to live in unity in relationships because we don't want to lay down our lives, we only want to meet other people halfway.
"If you do your part, I'll do mine."
What blows my mind is that Jesus will not only meet us halfway but He would rather choose to walk the full length of distance to meet us wherever we are. At our lowest of lows or in times where we might experience victory. Our need, wherever we are and whenever, will never stop Him from coming.
That, my dear friend, is the definition of a true gentleman. May we never settle for less, may we not only pursue Him with everything we have but may we also live lives where we intentionally choose to reach out to others. Willingly laying our lives down, as He did.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
NEEDTOBREATHE - Forever on your side (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKoHZkIGMnM)
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