WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.200
Today we're going to take a posture of peace by considering exploring the greatness of gentleness.

2
00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:15.280
Posture is a short audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything.

3
00:00:15.840 --> 00:00:20.080
Together we're going to be emboldened to take a daily posture of perfect peace.

4
00:00:20.080 --> 00:00:35.200
David wrote in Psalm 1835, you have given me the shield of your salvation and your right hand

5
00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:44.400
upholds me and your gentleness has made me great. You don't often think about gentleness and

6
00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:54.080
greatness together but God does. This is his reality. Here's the beautiful thing, God is

7
00:00:54.080 --> 00:01:01.920
always gentle with us. We talked about that in yesterday's episode. He is also gentleness

8
00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:09.920
within us because he lives in us and gentleness is powerful. It's strength under control.

9
00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:19.520
Gentleness shifts things. It changes things. Proverbs 15 says, a gentle answer turns away

10
00:01:19.520 --> 00:01:28.080
wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. While more of the same produces more of the same,

11
00:01:28.080 --> 00:01:36.320
gentleness sweeps in as the opposite spirit to the world and it turns away wrath. It shifts

12
00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:43.440
atmospheres. It shifts hearts. It shifts the plans of the enemy. As we talked about again

13
00:01:43.440 --> 00:01:50.160
yesterday, God's gentleness towards us, it demonstrates his confidence in the finished

14
00:01:50.160 --> 00:01:59.440
work of Jesus and what that work means for you and me. God is not hesitant about who he is for you.

15
00:01:59.440 --> 00:02:08.720
He is clear, confident, and committed to his word over you and his nature towards you always.

16
00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:15.840
And I think that we struggle, or at least for me, I won't pick on you, but I think I struggle

17
00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:22.960
to be gentle with others, sometimes even with myself, because I don't always have a confidence

18
00:02:23.040 --> 00:02:30.960
that it will produce results. I don't want to be a doormat. I don't want my point not to get across.

19
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:37.040
I don't want people to get away with things. But all of those fears, and they are fears,

20
00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:47.280
they lack confidence in the transformative power of God's nature. Gentleness is the spirit

21
00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:55.760
in which we restore ourselves and others because it is the spirit in which God has restored us.

22
00:02:55.760 --> 00:03:02.960
Gentleness is restorative, and though the results may not be instant, though the results may not

23
00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:11.600
always be evident immediately, they're shifting happening with gentleness. And I'm considering

24
00:03:11.600 --> 00:03:19.440
that today and every day, especially as I relate with other people, especially as I scroll through

25
00:03:19.440 --> 00:03:30.560
my screen. Gentleness makes us great. The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3. In Hebrew,

26
00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:39.680
it is shalom shalom, meaning complete wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. This is who you

27
00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:48.160
are in Jesus because of Jesus. You are a living testimony of Jesus's ultimate win. With every step

28
00:03:48.160 --> 00:03:54.640
you take today, you're putting Jesus's victory on display and Satan's defeat on replay.