Galatians 5.22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control …”
As we saw yesterday, the eighth fruit of the Spirit is the virtue of prautes, which is the unique combination of strength and gentleness. It is strength properly focused and directed. It is strength under control. As one writer describes prautes, it is a strong hand with a soft touch.
I want to dig deeper into this key virtue. The bible sees prautes as the condition of being calm, self-controlled, focused, and wise. It is an essential spiritual discipline; it equips and empowers you to see and respond effectively to virtually any situation.
A distinguishing characteristic of prautes is situational awareness. It does not react impulsively to situations; rather, it responds intentionally. It sees events with clarity, and then responds effectively. If the situation calls for gentleness, then prautes is gentle. If the situation calls for toughness, then prautes is tough. If the situation calls for patience and discernment, then prautes is patient and discerning. Prautes listens when it needs to listen, and it speaks when it needs to speak.
The key point is that prautes is not impulsive and reactionary; it responds with wisdom. We will see this very same word again in Galatians 6 where Paul encourages us how to respond to Christians who are struggling.
As I listen to the commentary and exchanges in the public arena today, I don’t hear much prautes. I hear shrill, harsh messages from people who have not done their homework and do not manage their emotions. I hear people who apparently pride themselves on how insulting they can be to those with a different opinion or alternative perspective. It seems that respect, kindness, gentleness, and civility are in short supply.
Think deeply about the instructions that scripture gives us about how we should engage and interact with others:
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1). This is a proverb, not a certitude, so there is no guarantee that a respectful response will stop someone from being angry. But it is true most of the time. It is nearly certain that if we are harsh towards others, we will trigger their anger.
Christians should be respectful in how we respond to and interact with others, especially with regard to challenging issues and difficult conversations. When things get heated, we should be cool and clear and prautes.
“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Very straightforward, isn’t it? Notice that before you are able to be respectful and effective toward others, you must first “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” This is because your words come from your heart. If Jesus isn’t on your heart, he won’t be in your words.
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45). This is a critically important message for parents, teachers, leaders, and coaches. Speaking and communicating are essential to all these roles. Therefore, listen to what the word of God says about what and how you communicate: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Before you speak to your kids, your students, your employees, or your athletes … make sure your heart is right.
When you speak, people don’t just hear your words; they feel your heart. If you want prautes in your words, you must have prautes on your heart. Remember: What comes from the heart, touches the heart.
I finish today with Matthew 11.28-30, where Jesus extends this invitation to every person on planet earth: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Again, the word for “gentle” in this famous passage is prautes. It is very unfortunate that the translations use “gentle.” Jesus invites us to come to him and learn from him. He invites us to be his students in the journey of life; he offers to teach and instruct us on how life should be lived. He tells us that he is a prautes instructor. In other words, he is wise, clear, and effective in his teaching. He will tell us the truth in a way that we need to hear it. Sometimes he will be tender; other times he will be tough. It all depends on the situation. And he sees every situation with crystal clarity.
The yoke of Jesus is “easy” and his burden is “light” because it is true. It does not mean there isn’t hard work to do, because the work is often quite difficult. The battle is fierce. The point is that life in Christ is “easy and light” in comparison to the alternative, which is a life that is not directed by truth. If you seek to live a life of deception and disobedience and resistance, it will be a disaster. It will be the opposite of “easy and light.” But if you want truth and authenticity — if you want the life for which God created you — then come to Jesus and let him be your Teacher.
Remember, prautes is something that is built into your life through training. Keep in mind the example from yesterday of the wild stallions from the mountains that the Greeks trained to become warrior-horses. If you want prautes in your life, you must submit fully to Jesus as your teacher. He must be Lord in your life, not just Savior. As Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am prautes …”
Is Jesus truly your Teacher? Are you allowing him to train you? Is Jesus your Lord, or just your Savior?
