1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 2: You're listening to every Day Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 2: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 4 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 2: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here, 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 2: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 6 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: and best response in parenting, and every day we come 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 2: In the month of April, we are hosting the Everyday 9 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: Prayers for Gentleness book Club on the podcast to celebrate 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 2: our newest release, We're So Glad you're here today. The 11 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 2: author of our new book and mom of three, Christy Thomas, 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: will lead our devotion in prayer to challenge us and 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 2: encourage us on our journey to grow in gentleness. To 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 2: learn more about Christy, our new book, and the Million 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: Praying Mom's ministry, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can find 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: a link in our show notes. After a brief word 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: from our sponsors, will pray together for our children. 18 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 3: Philippians four, verse five, Let your gentleness be evident to all. 19 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 3: The Lord is near. When the nurses first laid my 20 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 3: newborn son in my arms, I couldn't believe how tiny 21 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 3: he was, from the eaty baity wrinkled seat to the 22 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,559 Speaker 3: little cheeks that would soon fill out. He was small, red, 23 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 3: and very, very vulnerable. No one laid him in my 24 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 3: arms and said to me, I hope he's gentle with you. 25 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 3: Even though I was stapled and glued together after my 26 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 3: sea section. It would have been ludicrous to consider a 27 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 3: newborn baby to be gentle or ungentle. Despite my weakness 28 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 3: after twenty four hours of labor and an emergency surgery, 29 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 3: I was the one who held the power in the situation. 30 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 3: I needed to be gentle with my little son because 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 3: I could easily hurt him. 32 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: He was weak, so. 33 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 3: I needed to be gentle with him. We often think 34 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 3: of gentleness as weakness, but the two are actually very different. 35 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 3: Someone who was a weak doesn't need to be gentle. Rather, 36 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 3: it's the strong who need to practice gentleness. True gentleness 37 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 3: is much more than being kind, tender, or mild mannered. 38 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 3: In fact, I consider gentleness to be the radical cousin 39 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 3: of kindness, because while anyone can be kind, a person 40 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 3: can only truly be gentle when they have strength. Gentleness 41 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 3: occurs when someone with power holds back for the sake 42 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 3: of the vulnerable, as I did with my newborn son. 43 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 3: If you've thought of gentleness as a weakness in the past, 44 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 3: you are in good company. Even the prophet Jonah thought 45 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 3: of gentleness as weakness. After he preached to the people 46 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 3: of Nineveh, they repented, and God decided not to cause 47 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 3: the destruction he had planned. He held back his power 48 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 3: for the sake of the vulnerable, and Jonah was livid. 49 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 3: He railed at God. I knew that you are a 50 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:58,839 Speaker 3: gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, 51 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 3: and one who relates from sending disaster. And now Lord, 52 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 3: take my life from me, for it is better for 53 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,679 Speaker 3: me to die than to live. That tantrum is from 54 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 3: Jonah four verses two to three. Jonah literally wanted to 55 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 3: die because he was so frustrated over God's gentleness. Drama Queen, Yes, 56 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 3: this was the same God who had recently shown the 57 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 3: same gentleness toward Jonah, but he now saw God's gentleness 58 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 3: as a weakness and not as his strength. Like Jonah, 59 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 3: our world does not value gentleness. The world says we 60 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 3: should seek power over others and grasp for control. It's 61 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 3: not interested in holding back power for the sake of others. 62 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 3: As Christians, we're often guilty of this too. We long 63 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 3: to receive the grace of God's gentleness without having to 64 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 3: extend that same gentleness to others. We see gentleness as 65 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 3: a weakness, so we choose to ignore that part of 66 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: God's character. But together, over the next month, we will 67 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 3: uncover how gentleness is a sign of strength, something to 68 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 3: pray for and practice, not to avoid because it's so countercultural. 69 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 3: Gentleness is one of the most obvious markers of a 70 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 3: Christian who is growing in faith and godly character. When 71 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 3: I first broached the topic of this devotional with some readers, 72 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 3: one of them mentioned that the gentleness section in my 73 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 3: book Fruitful had a huge impact on her. She said, 74 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 3: it challenged me to think of gentleness in a much 75 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 3: broader and more applicable way, not just knowing how to 76 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 3: pet a kitten. Gentleness is so much more than knowing 77 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 3: how to pet a kitten or hold a baby. In fact, 78 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 3: God's gentleness is the very crux of the Gospel. Without Jesus' 79 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 3: choice to hold back his power for the sake of humanity, 80 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 3: he would never have gone to the cross for us. 81 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 3: At this point, you may not be excited about growing 82 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 3: in gentleness. You may want to turn this podcast series 83 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 3: off and not listen to the rest. If you've been 84 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 3: steeped in a culture that sees gentleness as weakness. 85 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 1: It may take a. 86 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,039 Speaker 3: Heart shift before you're ready to let God work in 87 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 3: you in this way. But as Paul taught the Philippians 88 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 3: from Philippians two, verse thirteen, it is God who was 89 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 3: working in you both to will and to work according 90 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 3: to his good purpose. When we invite him to do 91 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 3: his work in our hearts, God will give us a 92 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 3: vision for christ like gentleness and the desire to grow 93 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 3: in it. Let's pray together, Lord, I confess that I 94 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 3: have not always considered gentleness to be a virtue. In 95 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 3: this world of grasping, one upping, and outrage, gentleness seems 96 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 3: like a really great way to get walked all over. 97 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 3: Please give me a vision for christ like gentleness and 98 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 3: the desire to grow in it. Remove my fear of 99 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 3: seeming weak, and help me to trust that true gentleness 100 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 3: is life changing. In Jesus Holy name. 101 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: Amen, are you a visual learner? 102 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,559 Speaker 2: Would you like to receive our day devotions and written form? 103 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 2: Write to your inbox then join our Patreon community of 104 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 2: Praying Moms. Not only will you receive the transcripts of 105 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,679 Speaker 2: each podcast devotional, you will also receive a monthly prayer 106 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 2: calendar and surprise bonus content. 107 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: Learn more about our praying mom. 108 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 2: Community in today's show notes or at million prayingmoms dot com. 109 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 2: Till next time, friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. 110 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 2: Make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 111 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 2: May the Lord look with favor on you and give 112 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 2: you peace.