We are now starting chapter four of Philippians with our study on how God expects us to conduct ourselves during this life on earth.
I believe that the Book of Philippians is a God inspired guideline for our walk and being in this world. And just as a reminder, the Book of Philippians is not the only book in the Bible to give advice for life. We have to take the whole of Scripture into consideration and it’s important to keep all of it in context.
Philippians 4:5 (NKJV)
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Philippians 4:5(NLT)
Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
The Thesaurus defines
– gentleness as kindness, tenderness, peacefulness, calmness; and
–considerate as thoughtful, kind, understanding, caring, selfless.
Those are wonderful traits for a Christian to display. It’s like “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31 NKJV).
Am I always gentle in response to a situation that makes me frustrated or when I feel falsely accused of something? Unfortunately not, but I think I am getting better at it with the help from the Lord. We can always rely on Him. After a harsh exchange or venting my frustration His advice in Proverbs comes to my mind:
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Nothing gets solved with anger. And the adversary, Satan, will use that situation to flame the fire and to distract us from Christ by pulling us into the way of the world. We are in this world but we are not of this world. We read in
Philippians 3:20a (NKJV)
For our citizenship is in heaven,
May we learn to always turn our eyes upon Jesus!
I believe we can grow into this gentle, considerate child of God by staying in His word and following His example and instructions. The Book of Proverbs is a really good place to start. My husband says that Proverbs has 31 chapters and if you read a chapter a day it will only take you a month to get through it. We can gain so much wisdom from the Proverbs.
Do you always exercise gentleness towards others?
Is that easier said than done?
Feel free to leave me a comment; I would like to hear your thoughts on this.
May our hearts rejoice in the Lord always!
I hope this post is an encouragement to you in your walk with the Lord.
Philippians 1:9-11 (NKJV)
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
To God be the Glory!
Next week we will continue in chapter 4 of Philippians with verse 6.
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