This is part 5 of a multi-issue devotion concerning the topic of the Servant of the Lord. It is intended to encourage all believers and I pray it will do so. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; II Timothy 2:24-25
Last week we addressed the aspect of the servant of the Lord not striving in the effort of “instructing those that oppose themselves…” with the hope they “may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil”. One may wonder what it requires to “be gentle unto all men”. It surely is not a quality found among society as a whole these days. Yet, the Scriptures read: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18). If we were to take this verse solely at face-value without examining the context within the surrounding verses we will determine we are to “do our best” to live in peace with everyone or make an excuse saying “only if it is possible” we are to live in peace with all men. The truth is, when we evaluate the context within the verses above and below by reading “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.16Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.17Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12.14-21). In these verses we can not only see the blessing of the Lord among His people, but we also experience His blessings in the lives of others. The context is complete and utter trust of the Lord Jesus Christ, a trust extending beyond salvation, but into the realm of daily living making a difference in the lives of others. Even when others mistreat us, or show the lack of kindness, our response determines the outcome of who receives the glory. “as much as lieth in us…” is not referring to our ability, but rather the ability of the Holy Spirit. Sure, we are only flesh and blood and yes we are weak and full of faults. We all have short comings which interfere with our serving the Lord. In order to “be gentle unto all men”, we must rely on “as much as lieth” in us. The Lord Jesus Christ has filled us with the Holy Spirit, as soon as we were saved, thus enabling us to “bless them which persecute you”, to “weep with them that weep”, to “be of the same mind one toward another”, to “mind not high things”, to “be not wise in your own conceits”, and to “provide things honest”. Beloved, it is then and only then can we “live peaceably with all men”. When this happens, when we as believers in Christ are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to comfort us and control us we have such a love in our heart to live peaceably with all men.
Whereas, all of those sounds amazing, it does not stop there, complete trust and dependance upon the Lord provides for us the ability to allow the Lord to repay any wrong doing others may have enacted toward ourself therefore overcoming evil with good. With such a foundation, the product becomes the “being gentle unto all men”, which gentleness, is one of the nine fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians chapter 5.
What a tremendous blessing to understand all of us can remove strife from our life allowing gentleness to become a beautiful testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ in a world where kindness, gentleness and simple politeness has been overshadowed by quite the opposite. What is surprising, much of what we have seen and heard about this subject is simply a choice. I am reminded of the story of Prentice Henderson, who lived to be 100. This man lived through the Great Depression, fought in World War II and buried his wife. He did not retire until he was well into his 70s and faithfully taught a Sunday School class of 7th grade boys for over 30 years at First Baptist Church. He had a simple little philosophy of living, he said: “I choose to be happy”. His daughter would later testify she remembered him as “always positive regardless of the situation.” Just imagine how many souls and multiple generations this man influenced, because he “chose to be happy.” I would say he was “gentle unto all men…” the servant of the Lord. …but be gentle unto all men…
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