If you’ve ever been treated poorly or unjustly accused, it can be tough to respond the right way. Our flesh wants to retaliate and defend our character. But that only leads to trouble. How would God want us to respond?

As we continue exploring the fruit of the Spirit – gentleness – we’ll discover how it goes beyond our words to affect our actions.

Remember Stephen – one of the very first deacons? He was known as a God-fearing man who was full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. He had a great reputation. The Lord used him and six other deacons to spread the gospel:

It must have been exciting to see the Lord at work in the hearts of so many people. But where the gospel is being preached and accepted, there will always be opposition.

It didn’t take long for Jewish men from a nearby synagogue to put a plan into motion to thwart the work. Maybe they were convicted by God’s Word, or a bit jealous of the success of Stephen’s ministry – whatever the reason, they bribed other men to lie about Stephen and accuse him of trying to change Moses’ customs:

Their accusations were enough to cause a reaction not only among the people, but also among the elders and scribes. Stephen was taken before the council of the religious leaders. But his trial wasn’t exactly fair. The Jews had also gotten false witnesses to come to the stand with incredulous accusations.

It had to be tempting to deny all the accusations and defend himself. But instead, Stephen used the opportunity to point to the Lord. He went through the Old Testament accounts of Israel’s relationship with God. He spoke of the Jews continual rejection of God and His prophets. He spoke boldly of the fact that this council was guilty of rejecting Jesus, the Messiah:

Tough words spoken with a genuine concern for the souls of his audience. Stephen resisted the temptation to defend himself or try to escape. The verdict? The council found Stephen guilty of blasphemy. His sentence? Death by stoning.

As he was taken out of the city and stoned, Stephen’s final prayer showcased the fruit of gentleness at work:

Stephen was emulating his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who had forgiven those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34).*

You and I probably won’t find ourselves in a position like Stephen’s, but we will face difficult situations that will require us to make decisions. Will we choose to defend our reputation? Or yield to the Holy Spirit and choose to respond with the Christ-like fruit of  gentleness?