LOVE AND GENTLENESS. The Greatest Commandment. Most important command: Second most important command:

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2 L E S S O N 1 7 LOVE AND GENTLENESS When we studied the fruit of the Spirit, we learned that the entire fruit of the Spirit emanates or comes out of love. Love is the true character of God, and everything springs from this foundation. The Greatest Commandment When Jesus spoke of His love for us and our love for Him and others, He said that nothing in our lives is more important. In Mark 12:28, a man asked Jesus, Which commandment is the greatest? In Mark 12:29-31, you can read the answer Jesus gave this man. Then read John 13:35 and 1 John 4:7-8, Think about all these verses and explain in your own words the meaning of these two most important commandments. Most important command: Second most important command: Give some examples of how you can obey these commands. How To Show Love Our love for people is shown by how we treat them. Read each of the following verses and match the references to the correct corresponding thoughts about kindness. Some of the words that mean the same as kindness are gentleness, goodness, and manners. 133

3 1. Romans 2:4 A. We serve God and show our love for Him by our kindness. 2. Ephesians 2:7 B. God s goodness leads us to repentance Corinthians 6:4-6 C. Learn to be gentle instead of angry. 4. Proverbs 19: Corinthians 13: Corinthians 15:33 7. Proverbs 24:17 8. Proverbs 15:1 D. Wrong friends will hinder us from being kind to others. E. We should want kindness to characterize our lives. F. In the ages to come God will continue to show kindness. G. Do not be glad when your enemy falls or stumbles. H. Kindness is an evidence of genuine love. Proverbs Teaches Us How To Love One Another Proverbs has much to say about how we ought to treat one another. Much of what the Bible teaches us to do involves simple and obvious things that should come naturally for those who walk in the Spirit. Read the following verses and explain (1) what we should do, (2) why we should do it, and (3) for whom we should do it. Verses What Should We Do? Why Should We Do it? For Whom? Proverbs 3:27 Proverbs 3:28 Proverbs 3:29 Proverbs 14:21,

4 Proverbs 24:28 Proverbs 25:21-22 Luke 6:35-36 Being Kind To Our Enemies Loving enemies may be the most difficult part of learning to love others. In the Bible, Jesus says that it is not to our credit when we are kind to those we care about and have as our friends. To be kind and loving to someone who is kind and loving to us is easy. It is easy to love someone we like! But when someone has mistreated us and hurt us in some way, it is very difficult to treat him kindly. What we need to do is learn to let God s Holy Spirit work in our hearts and help us to respond in the right way. Jesus says that He can make even our enemies to be our friends. How does Proverbs 16:7 explain this? Jesus Forgave His Enemies The greatest example we have of forgiving and showing kindness to an enemy is what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus had done no wrong, yet many people wanted Him to be crucified. Read Luke 23:33-37 and answer each of the following questions: What groups of people persecuted Jesus? 135

5 What kinds of things did these groups do? What did Jesus ask God on their behalf? The Story Of Ruth The story of Ruth and Naomi is a beautiful story of love, devotion, gentleness, and kindness in action. Consider Ruth s story carefully with these characteristics in mind. This story begins with another woman named Naomi. Naomi s family, including her husband and two sons, left the land of Canaan (the Promised Land) because there was a famine there. They went in search of food and what they thought would be a better life. While in a foreign country, Naomi s sons married heathen women. But soon Naomi s husband and both of her sons died. So Naomi decided to return to her people and her homeland. When Naomi decided to go back, one of her daughters-in-law chose to stay in her homeland. The other, Ruth, had learned about the one true God and wanted to stay with Naomi, so the two women went to live in the town of Bethlehem. They were very poor, but God took care of them. Back then, it was customary for the poor people to gather the grain that was left over after the farmers had harvested the fields. Ruth went into these fields to gather leftover grain for food. The field where she gathered grain belonged to a man named Boaz. As she gathered her grain, Boaz began to watch her and noticed her beauty and her gentle, loving ways in the midst of hardship. God brought them together, and they were married. Although Ruth was a poor foreigner from a heathen nation, God honored her devotion to Him and her loving and kind ways. He helped her meet someone who would take care of her and love her. In this way the Lord graciously blessed her life and even honored her with a place in the lineage of His Son! Ruth eventually became the great-grandmother of King David. Who was King David s most important descendant? 136

6 Read the following verses in the book of Ruth and explain how the spiritual qualities of love, gentleness, and kindness can be seen in Ruth s life. Ruth 1:16-18 Ruth 2:2-3 Ruth 2:8-12 Ruth 3:11 How Do We Become Kind? The story of Ruth illustrates how gentleness and kindness could be a part of your life. God will bless you for your loving attitudes and your strength of character. As you have already studied, there is only one way to build your character in these areas and all others. You must allow the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside. You must also fulfill your responsibility to submit to His commands. Developing godly character involves both trusting Him and obeying Him. Teacher s Lesson Ruth s Situation Attitude(s) Shown Attitude(s) Not Shown Blessing(s) She suffered the death of her husband. She left home and moved to Canaan. She worked hard in the fields. Licensed for use during the school year, subject to the end user license agreement. All rights reserved. 137