1 Timothy 6:11 (GW)
Do you want to be attractive? You might say you don’t care about being good-looking—but attractiveness goes much deeper than the skin. An attractive person often appeals to others more for who they are on the inside than how they look on the outside.
The Bible says that, if you want to be more attractive, you need to learn to be gentle: Gentleness is strength under control. It’s one of the marks of someone who follows Jesus. And gentleness makes you more attractive to the people around you.
The Bible tells the story of Ruth and Boaz, two gentle people who were attracted to each other and ended up changing the world together.
Boaz was a successful young farmer. One day he saw strangers out in his field taking what was left after his workers had harvested. This wasn’t unusual; it was common for the poor to find food that way.
But he noticed in particular a young woman named Ruth. She was poor because her husband had died, leaving her with very little. Her mother-in-law also was a widow, and Ruth had decided to stay with Naomi to care for her. Why did Ruth do that? Because she was gentle; she had strength under control.
When Boaz saw Ruth in his field, he could have demanded she leave. Instead, he allowed her to continue picking from his field and even commended her for caring for her mother-in-law.
Ruth responded by saying, “You are very kind to me, sir. You have made me feel better by speaking gently to me” (Ruth 2:13-14 GNT).
Eventually, Boaz invited Ruth to share a meal with him. She ate until she was satisfied, and then he gave her more food to take home. He was kind; he was gentle. He was a powerful man and chose to keep that strength under control and use it to care for other people.
Boaz and Ruth married, and their great-grandson was King David. And it was through King David’s line that Jesus eventually was born.
Are you attractive to other people? Do you have a gentleness that makes other people want to be around you, like Ruth and Boaz? If not, you can change that today by intentionally pursuing the things God approves of—starting with gentleness!
Do you want to be attractive? You might say you don’t care about being good-looking—but attractiveness goes much deeper than the skin. An attractive person often appeals to others more for who they are on the inside than how they look on the outside.
The Bible says that, if you want to be more attractive, you need to learn to be gentle: Gentleness is strength under control. It’s one of the marks of someone who follows Jesus. And gentleness makes you more attractive to the people around you.
The Bible tells the story of Ruth and Boaz, two gentle people who were attracted to each other and ended up changing the world together.
Boaz was a successful young farmer. One day he saw strangers out in his field taking what was left after his workers had harvested. This wasn’t unusual; it was common for the poor to find food that way.
But he noticed in particular a young woman named Ruth. She was poor because her husband had died, leaving her with very little. Her mother-in-law also was a widow, and Ruth had decided to stay with Naomi to care for her. Why did Ruth do that? Because she was gentle; she had strength under control.
When Boaz saw Ruth in his field, he could have demanded she leave. Instead, he allowed her to continue picking from his field and even commended her for caring for her mother-in-law.
Ruth responded by saying, “You are very kind to me, sir. You have made me feel better by speaking gently to me” (Ruth 2:13-14 GNT).
Eventually, Boaz invited Ruth to share a meal with him. She ate until she was satisfied, and then he gave her more food to take home. He was kind; he was gentle. He was a powerful man and chose to keep that strength under control and use it to care for other people.
Boaz and Ruth married, and their great-grandson was King David. And it was through King David’s line that Jesus eventually was born.
Are you attractive to other people? Do you have a gentleness that makes other people want to be around you, like Ruth and Boaz? If not, you can change that today by intentionally pursuing the things God approves of—starting with gentleness!
Talk It Over
Do you usually associate gentleness with strength? Why or why not?
Who in your life is attractive because of their gentleness? In what specific ways are they gentle?
What does it mean to “pursue” gentleness?
Do you usually associate gentleness with strength? Why or why not?
Who in your life is attractive because of their gentleness? In what specific ways are they gentle?
What does it mean to “pursue” gentleness?
- by Pastor Rick
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Prayer:
Father,
Shape our hearts in the quiet of Your presence, where pride dissolves like mist before the morning sun. Teach us to walk in the lowly path You chose, to see the overlooked, to lift the weary with gentle hands. Let our words carry the fragrance of grace; let our thoughts be sifted through Your truth; let our actions mirror the mercy and humble spirit that knelt to wash the dust from another’s feet. When anger stirs, clothe us in patience; when fear whispers, anchor us in faith; when self seeks its own, turn our gaze to the Cross where love bore all, forgave all, redeemed all.
Make our lives a living echo of Your compassion, a vessel for Your light in shadowed places, until the day we stand before You, and You recognize in us the gentle beauty of Your own heart. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
