June 1, 2022 8:00 pm
In November 1742, a riot broke out in Staffordshire, England, to protest against the gospel message Charles Wesley was preaching. It seems Charles and his brother John were changing some longstanding church traditions, and that was too much for many of the townsfolk.
When John Wesley heard about the riot, he hurried to Staffordshire to help his brother. Soon an unruly crowd surrounded the place where John was staying. Courageously, he met face to face with their leaders, speaking with them so serenely that one by one their anger was assuaged.
John Wesley’s gentle and quiet spirit calmed a potentially savage mob. But it was not a gentleness that occurred naturally in his own heart. Rather, it was the heart of the Savior whom Wesley followed so closely. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). This yoke of gentleness becomes the true power behind the apostle Paul’s challenge to us, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).
In our humanness, such patience is impossible for us. But by the fruit of the Spirit in us, the gentleness of the heart of Christ can set us apart and equip us to face a hostile world. When we do, we fulfill Paul’s words, “Let your gentleness be evident to all” (Philippians 4:5).
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. My name is Bill Crowder, and I've entitled today's reading, Set Apart. In November of 1742, a riot broke out in Staffordshire, England, to protest against the gospel message Charles Wesley was preaching. It seems Charles and his brother John were changing some long-standing church traditions, and that was too much for many of the townsfolk. When John Wesley heard about the riot, he hurried to Staffordshire to help his brother.
Soon, an unruly crowd surrounded the place where John was staying. Courageously, he met face to face with their leaders, speaking with them so serenely that one by one their anger was assuaged. Wesley's gentle and quiet spirit calmed an angry mob, but it wasn't a gentleness that occurred naturally in his heart.
Rather, it was the heart of the Savior whom Wesley followed so closely. Jesus said in Matthew 11, Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. This yoke of gentleness became the true power behind the Apostle Paul's challenge to us in Ephesians chapter 4. Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love.
In our humanness, such patience is impossible for us. But by the fruit of the Spirit in us, the gentleness of the heart of Christ can set us apart and equip us to face a hostile world. When we do, we fulfill Paul's words in Philippians, Let your gentleness be evident to all.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ephesians 4 verses 29 to 32. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling in slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Let's pray. Father, sometimes we want to strike back, to hurt those who have hurt us. Remind us in those moments that Jesus displayed a heart of gentleness and compassion to His adversaries, and He can enable us to do the same. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-04-09 19:56:33 / 2023-04-09 19:58:00 / 1
