It's here: Part 9 of the 9 part series - how to get prayers answered
The Acts of The Apostles - D23
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
8/23/20262 min read
Gentle Among You
“But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.” (1 Thessalonians 2:7, NKJV)
Paul writes back to the church in Thessalonica, the very church born in the middle of opposition, and what he wants them to remember is not how boldly he preached or how much he suffered. He reminds them how deeply they were loved.
Paul had arrived in Thessalonica carrying the wounds of Philippi. He had been beaten, imprisoned, and publicly humiliated for preaching Christ. Experiences like that can make a person guarded. Pain can teach us to protect ourselves, keep people at a distance, and become harder than we once were.
But suffering had not made Paul hard.
He tells them, “We were gentle among you.” He describes loving them like a mother cherishing her children and encouraging them like a father walking beside his own. He shared more than the gospel with them; he shared his life. His ministry reflected the Savior he preached.
That is where this passage turns toward us. Has being hurt changed the way we love?
Jesus knew betrayal, rejection, false accusations, abandonment, and ultimately the cross. Yet suffering never changed His character. He still touched the untouchable, welcomed the rejected, restored the fallen, and looked upon broken people with compassion. Even after His resurrection, Jesus returned to disciples who had abandoned Him and spoke peace.
Paul had encountered that Jesus. He knew what it was to have Christ meet him while he was still an enemy of the gospel and transform him with grace. So when Paul entered Thessalonica carrying wounds of his own, he could offer others the gentleness Christ had first shown him.
The same Jesus wants to do that in us.
Sometimes one of the clearest evidences that Christ is changing us is not how loudly we speak about Him, but how much we begin to resemble Him. The world has enough wounded people passing their wounds to someone else. Jesus invites us into another rhythm: receive His grace so deeply that what hurt us does not determine how we treat others.
When people encounter us, may they encounter something of Him.
Bring the places where you have been hurt to Jesus today. Ask Him to keep those wounds from hardening your heart and to let someone experience His gentleness through you.
Scripture Promise:
“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29, NKJV)
Prayer:
Father, thank you for experiencing our pains and sorrows and for giving us the strength to move through them. Thank you for the promise that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, who is always there by our side in and out of the fire. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Stay in Rhythm. Stay in Grace.
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