The Wisdom from Above Is Gentle
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September 02, 2018 |
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"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:17-18).
Dr. Jaerock Lee,
Senior Pastor of Manmin Central Church
Chairman, The United Holiness Church of Jesus Christ
Permanent President, The World Christianity Revival Mission Association
Founder & Board Chairman, Global Christian Network
Founder & Board Chairman, World Christian Doctors Network
Founder & Board Chairman, Manmin International Seminary
Founder & Board Chairman, The Alliance Holiness Theological Seminary
Doctorate of Ministry, and Honorary Doctorate of Divinity
His sermons were broadcast by the Far East Broadcasting Company and the Asia Broadcast Station.
He conducted crusades in New York City, Washington D. C., Baltimore, Maryland, Los Angeles, and in Hawaii of the USA; Japan; India; Pakistan; the Philippines; Argentina; Honduras; Peru; Russia; Germany; Kenya; Tanzania; Uganda; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Jerusalem of Israel; and Estonia.
People usually say that when they are watching others playing chess, they can see better moves than those the players make. Though the one who is playing is actually a better player, he may miss basic things if he is under great pressure to win the game. But those who are watching the game are not under any pressure, so they have a better overall view and room to think. Our Christian lives are sometimes similar to this situation.
When we seek our own benefit, we may not be able to discern the truth. Even if we know what the truth is, we may not be able to give up the benefit. Then, we cannot act according to the truth. But if we have cast off greed and our heart is filled with the truth, we will be able to easily discern the truth, so it isn't difficult to practice the truth. We can also give clear answers to problems concerning other people, though not our own. This is the wisdom that we can gain through being spiritually 'gentle.'
1. The Spiritual Meaning of 'Gentleness'
Dictionaries say 'being gentle' means being kind, mild, and calm. But 'gentleness' spiritually refers to the heart filled with the abundant truth and contains the freedom of the truth so that it can give up everything that we have. To achieve this heart, we must not have selfish motives and must be full of the truth.
Jesus is the best role-model of giving up everything with the heart of abundant truth. Jesus is the Son of God and He had no sin or blemish. His heart was truth itself. While He was living on this earth, He lived only by the will of God and offered up His everything. Without eating or resting well, He preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and healed the sick. He toiled so hard and shed so many tears. Eventually He even offered up His life for the souls. By doing so, He saved countless people and led them to heaven.
We can also learn about gentleness through the deeds of Abram (later named Abraham) in Genesis 13. Abram and Lot received blessings from God. As their livestock were many, their shepherds had quarrels with each other. When Abram found it out, he made up his mind to separate from Lot. He said to Lot, "Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left." In fact, the reason Lot received blessings was that he stayed with Abram who was loved by God, and moreover, Lot was Abram's nephew. But Lot chose the better land first. Abram didn't have any kind of discomfort towards him. It was because he had so much gentleness of heart that he could give up everything if the other person desired it. Since Abram showed such goodness, God promised him that He would give all the lands in north, south, east, and west, and also give him countless descendants.
Abram always showed overflowing gentleness and acted with much more goodness than what was required of him, so he received great blessings from God. On the contrary, in this world people say it is wise to keep our own things, without giving up anything. They also say if they are struck once, they should strike back. If they give one, they want to receive more than that given. They think that is wisdom. But God says it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). When we give and share in the name of the Lord, we will receive greater blessings from God. This is a way of blessing and true wisdom.
But as long as we have selfishness, anger, and greed in our hearts, we cannot show abundant gentleness. That is why 'gentleness' is defined as 'the heart having the truth abundantly and from that truth we can give up our everything.'
2. Blessings Enjoyed through the Wisdom of Gentleness
When we broaden our hearts with the truth, sacrifice ourselves, and serve others, it is the wisdom to gain the hearts of others. If our heart is full of the truth and we have overflowing gentleness, we can give ours to others unsparingly and we will have no discomfort when we see others are doing better than we are. We can also help others do better. If we won't pursue the minor benefits immediately before us, we can receive God-given blessings and understand why it is wiser and more blessed to give than to receive and why those who serve become great.
I have been well aware of the principle. So, since the opening of the church, we supported other newly-opened churches, though we didn't have enough for ourselves. We saved just one more penny to spend for world mission and saving more souls. Even when some people asked us to give our 'shirt' to them, we gave it to them even with our 'coat' if it could save them. Even when we were struck on our right cheek for no reason, we offered even the left cheek if that could bring about peace.
When some tried to deceive us, we just let them do so though we knew they were lying. We were struck not because we did not have the power to fight back. We offered the other cheek not because we were foolish, but because we had earnest love to save souls and believed the works of the almighty God. So, God let us grow into a mega-sized church in a short period of time and we received overflowing blessings.
It is the same when you work for God's kingdom and take care of the souls. Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:15, "I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?" To those who do not know the truth, when you give everything with your love for God and love for souls, it may seem that you are wasting your possessions.
But, as you keep doing so, you will be loved by God and the people more. When Apostle Paul gave up his everything, he gained workers like Timothy who considered Paul like a father and loved him. Also, he gained a church and members who would be willing to even pluck out their eyes and give them to him (Galatians 4:15). Moreover, we can gain wisdom to discern the truth clearly, and receive strength to save souls and heal souls who have broken hearts.
3. The Freedom of the Truth Comes Out of Gentleness
Gentleness is a quality of the heart that is being able to yield everything because we abundantly possess the truth in our hearts while at the same time we have freedom in that truth. Here, let us delve into the meaning of the 'freedom of truth.' John 8:32 says, "...and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." To those who are not living by the truth, the truth may feel like shackles. But, to those who know the truth and completely act by it, they feel free within the truth. They know the law of God is love and a way to blessing, so they have no fear in it.
For example, if you do not have the faith to keep the Lord's Day, you may feel burdened about the commandment about keeping it. You may think the words that tell you not to conduct business or not to participate in worldly entertainment on the day are like shackles. But those who truly keep it from the depth of their heart do not feel burdened by it. They know they recognize the spiritual sovereignty of God by keeping it and thereby they will receive peace and blessings from Him.
When they keep the Lord's Day, they are protected from accidents or calamities throughout the week. Also, they even can earn more money when they do not open their shops that day. God can give them seven days' worth of income during the other six days. He can also prevent unexpected expenses. Because God protects them from diseases and accidents, they do not have to pay for any medicine or hospital bills. When we understand the true meaning of the command about keeping the Lord's Day and act by the truth, our souls may prosper and we will be protected always.
Then, we feel very free in our lives.
For another example, if we cast off hatred according to the truth, we will feel unburdened and happy. You might have felt burdened by hatred and felt sorry before God. But if you cast off this sinful nature, you feel so happy since the truth sets you free from the yoke of sin and frees you from the burdens of sin. In addition, if your heart is full of the truth, you can also extend that freedom to others. You do not judge or condemn others just because they are not living by the truth, but instead you can encourage them and strengthen them so they too can live by the truth.
'To be filled with the truth in our hearts', here, does not just mean knowing what truth is by our knowledge alone. Those who know the truth only as knowledge may think in arrogance they know everything though they know very little (1 Corinthians 8:1). Such people judge and condemn other people. When it seems to them that someone wants to be served, they are quick to judge and condemn. They conclude that the person wants to be served. But they themselves do not realize that they are violating the truth telling us not to judge any of our brothers.
On the other hand, those who have truth in the heart will consider the person's measure of faith and think from the other person's point of view. They can discern the right from the wrong with the word, but even when they see the untruth of others, they can still cover their faults with love. Because they received compassion of God when they had many transgressions, they also show compassion for others.
4. Understanding Follows Gentleness
When the truth comes into our heart abundantly and if we have generous hearts in the freedom of truth, we can have understanding that shows us the pathway clearly in everything. Jesus taught the heart of God to people in the freedom of truth.
In John 8, Jews brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. They asked Jesus what to do about her. According to the Law of Moses, they had to stone her to death. But if Jesus had said that, they would have said it was against His own teaching that was mainly about love and forgiveness. If Jesus had told them to forgive her, they would have condemned Him for neglecting the Law. At the time, Jesus just began to write something on the ground without saying anything.
When the people asked Him to answer, He said, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her," and He continued writing on the ground. What Jesus had been writing on the ground at the time were the sins that the people there had committed. When the people saw Jesus writing the sins that they had committed, they did not dare to throw a stone at her. One by one they left that place with qualms of conscience, and only Jesus and the woman remained. And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." This woman who had been shaking with fear and embarrassment was saved so dramatically. She must have kept in her heart the word of Jesus.
Jesus was truth itself and knew the heart and will of God clearly. So, He had the freedom of truth. He was gentle enough to understand the heart of sinners and show compassion to them. He could show the wisdom to let the people understand the true will of God by saying, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
If He had had the least bit of condemnation in His heart, He could not have given such an answer. And if He had told them to forgive her only because she was pitiful, people might have said He was violating the Law and He would have been put into a very difficult situation.
All parts of the Law of God contain this love of God, but people cannot be forgiven just because they are pitiful. It is because if God just forgave all sinners with sympathy, sin would spread like the ferment of yeast and more people would fall into destruction. That is why God designated punishment for sins. Jesus could show such wisdom as saving all people because He fulfilled the Law with love and knew the heart of God in the Law (1 Timothy 2:4).
One more thing we should realize here is that Jesus did not mention the sins of the people with words but He wrote them on the ground. He did not speak out those things to hurt the feelings of the people. He knew He might invite their resistance if He pointed out evil peoples' sins directly. He just let them read the sins written on the ground so that they would quietly go away.
Sometimes, when a person talks about the fault of somebody else, the listener may become embarrassed and say, "So, don't you have this kind of fault, too!" What is meant by saying something like this is, "Mind your own business." Of course, it is not right to talk about someone's fault. But though someone is doing something wrong, it is not right either to criticize that person right in front of him/her. That is to pay back evil with evil, and by doing so you are judging and condemning in the same way. Also, the person who hears such words may have ill-feelings although what he heard is true.
Thus, if we know the truth only as knowledge, not cultivating it in our heart, we may easily hurt others with that knowledge. We should cultivate the Word of God in hearts and then will be able to embrace other people.
If you have gentleness in your hearts, you will not hurt others' feelings and you will not judge or condemn others. You will consider them as precious souls and lead them with the truth. When you have this kind of a heart, you will gain the wisdom to lead others to life. This is the wisdom gained from gentleness.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Romans 15:1-2 reads, "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification."
As God's children, we should look after the weak, give happiness to our neighbors, and show them virtuous generosity with good deeds. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will achieve gentleness in your heart, give out the fragrance of goodness anytime anywhere, and become children who are the source of pride to God.
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