“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  vss. 4-6

Paul loved the people that had welcomed him to Macedonia when the Spirit had led him there on his first missionary journey. The congregation that had developed around the leadership of Lydia had become an example to the whole Church. Their generosity was stunning–even though they were poor they had given more than anyone else when hunger and famine had come to Judea. And now at the end of his letter to them Paul tells them to rejoice always and let their gentleness be known to all. How refreshing it is to see gentleness raised to first place among the virtues! Too often among us it is seen as a sign of weakness, not a “manly” attribute at all. Haven’t we had enough of that nonsense in our culture, the notion that both men and women need to be tough and calloused in their relationships? How beautiful it is to be around gentle people! In their presence we can truly feel that Jesus is near! This would be a good week for us to give thanks for such folks in our circle of friends and family–when they are around it’s easy to follow Paul’s advice and not worry about anything!

Thought for the Day: Gentle people that I know!