Marie’s daily verse: He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor (Proverbs 21:21).DAILY DEVOTION, Oct. 26, 2021The next fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 is “gentleness.” The Greek word (prautes) refers to a person who is humble and calm with a non-threatening demeanor. It does not imply weakness or passivity. In Greek culture, war horses were trained to be gentle, which meant that they did not run away in the noise of battle. They remained responsive to the commands of their master. They were “gentle” in the midst of turmoil. Jesus admonished us to learn from Him, “for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus was not weak. He stood fast in the midst of battle. He bravely went to the cross to suffer and die for us. That is not weakness, but great strength combined with a gentle spirit.Paul tells us to let our gentleness be evident to all (See Philippians 4:4-5). When we seek to share our faith with others, we do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). We are to relate to others with gentleness. When we manifest a spirit of harshness, hostility, or anger, no one is encouraged to trust in Jesus in whom we believe. Solomon reminds us that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).As is the case with all of the spiritual fruit,  we need to pray that God will work gentleness into our hearts.Father, I do pray that you will help me to be gentle in spirit. I don’t want to be a person who stirs up wrath. I want to be more and more like Jesus, my gentle Savior. Amen.