Day at the Races: The Far Turn! — FRIDAY
2 Timothy 2:25
Opponents must be gently instructed… (NIV)
Have you ever met a crabby old man or woman? Sad, isn’t it? How about a gentle old man or woman? The latter make us feel one step closer to God, don’t they? Yesterday, we talked about the importance of kindness and gentleness in the middle years of life, and in all of life, for that matter.
Gentleness tends to get a bad rap in today’s culture because everyone seems to be in defensive mode. Because of social media, everything is instantly analyzed, and people take positions very quickly; thus, gentleness isn’t highly valued. But in essence, gentleness is simply choosing in advance to respect people with whom we disagree. It’s good to remember that few people are ever “argued” into the Kingdom of God.
The Greek word for “gentle” depicts a wild stallion that has been brought under control. From Scott’s text last Sunday (2 Timothy 2:25-26), we see three powerful things that gentleness can do:
Lead us to repentance
Help us come to our senses
Deliver us from the snare of the devil
Have you ever considered that someone who doesn’t know Jesus may be ensnared by the devil? That should change how we view nonbelievers and increase our compassion for them as well. Lost people assume that they’re free, but they aren’t. They believe they’re clear minded, but often they aren’t. As Paul wrote, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT). That’s the bad news.
Here’s the good news: With sound doctrine, gentle instruction, kindness, and love, we have the opportunity to deliver people from the clutches of the devil. What a privilege! No matter how right we think we are, we never need to resort to hostility. Indeed, we can be right and gentle at the same time, and we should.
Friday’s Reflection
A man I greatly respect, age 71, was overflowing with thankfulness for “God holding on to me all these years.” I liked the thought. I’m not holding on to God, He’s holding on to me, always. Indeed, we just don’t have the fingers to grip that cliff, do we? I’m glad that success in the Christian life is measured by our character, our faith, and God’s power. That will get us through any midlife crisis… and it will also get us Home! Amen?
