Tuesday, November 30th. Gentleness

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

"2You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,^* that our coming to you was not in vain, ²but though we had already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. ³For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; ⁶nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, ⁷though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle^* among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
9 You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters;^* we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was towards you believers. ¹¹As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, ¹²urging and encouraging you and pleading that you should lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory."


As a parent of a small child, you understand what it is like to have someone completely depend on you for everything.  Love, food, drink, clothing, etc.  This is a person who cannot do anything for themselves.  They have complete faith in the parent to give them everything they need, even without knowing what faith is in an academic sense.  All they can do is trust and hope. 

The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Thessalonicans that he came to them like a parent, treating them gently and giving them what they needed because of thier hope and trust in the Lord, and that it was God giving them what they needed in truth, not him.  That's why the glory and praise belong to God, not to him. 

When we encounter people who are still babies in the Lord, it is often frustrating when they do not understand what it is we are trying to teach them.  It is similarly frustrating at times with Children when they do not understand why you keep telling them no when they attempt to stick something in an electrical outlet in the wall.

Understanding how to be gentle with those who aren't as experienced as yourself can be difficult, but it is something we should understand and practice.  You wouldn't get upset with an infant when he or she can't understand what a past participle is.  Don't be upset by the babe in Christ when they cannot understand deep theological points of doctrine.  Stick with the basics, and work up from there. 

In XP,

Terry W. Gatwood