Cultivating Gentleness and Self-Control: A 30 Day Devotional Journey

By Ruth Teakle

Cultivating Gentleness and Self-Control is another delightful, powerful, and inspirational devotional in Ruth’s fruit of the Spirit series. Experience the living power of God through selected Bible passages, prayers, and personal stories. These brief but compelling daily nuggets will encourage you to rely on God’s grace as you choose the freedom of living a surrendered life. Suitable for personal, small group, and corporate use. Group study questions included.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Word Alive Press
• Release date: Jul 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781486624249

Book preview

CultivatingGentleness_ebookCVR.jpg

Endorsements for Cultivating Gentleness and Self-Control

This book provides valuable insight by highlighting the importance of displaying the fruit of the Spirit, such as gentleness and patience. Pastor Ruth provides us with such timely and relatable illustrations taken from life’s journey, which we can all appreciate. The book speaks to these virtues with a clarity that will help us develop and maintain relationships and open doors for us to reach out to others.

—Rev. Carson Atherley

Senior Staff, IS/IVCF, Barbados

Instructive, experiential, and engaging. This devotional draws us to Paul’s instructions in Galatians 5 on the importance of cultivating the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It points to the need to yield to the Spirit of Christ, allowing His power, His fruit, and His gifts to be demonstrated in our lives. Understanding the strength provided through gentleness and self-control helps in focusing on Him in the challenges we face. Thank you, Ruth, for the reminders that Christ is our everything!

—Patricia Allison

Intercessor, Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International

Dunamis Fellowship Canada

Ruth Teakle’s book on gentleness and self-control truly depicts the heart of our Saviour. Jesus lived and walked with a spirit of gentleness, and He desires for us to do the same. Every day Ruth gives us an easy-to-swallow truth nugget to live out. Thank you, Ruth, for this spiritually challenging book. A must-read for every Christian.

—Steven Stoffelsen

Author of Trusting God’s Timing

Founder of House of Refuge Street Ministries

www.houseofrefuge.ca

This devotional couldn’t have come at a better time! Ruth Teakle invites us to the table with a delightful thirty-day feast on the fruit of the Spirit, loaded with the extravagant special flavours of gentleness and self-control. Her wealth of real-life experiences in her life journey with her family, ministry, and her deep walk with the Lord are intricately woven together with such a breath of freshness and reality of truth. Her heart of compassion and intimacy with God invites us to savour the joy and peace that emerge from practising a gentle spirit, enjoying forgiveness, and relishing a life not governed by strife. At a time when we are being ravaged by a dangerous rise in hardened hearts and self-centred, intolerant attitudes that hurt others, this devotional opens the door to healthy relationships and a life of shalom in Christ Jesus.

—Pastor Amenla Cunningham

Women’s Pastor, First AG Church, Bangalore, India

www.firstagchurch.in

I was introduced to Ruth’s powerful and encouraging writing through Pursuing Peace, and this new volume, Gentleness and Self-Control, does not disappoint. Relatable, scriptural, and practical. Whether you read this gem over thirty days or savour it and go more slowly, be prepared to be uplifted and challenged in your walk with the Lord. Truly timely and timeless.

—Vivian Bright

Training Facilitator, Caring for the Wounded Heart

School Principal, Ottawa area

www.connectingstreams.com

I wonder what our desperate world would look like if we entrusted ourselves to the One who knows us best (Ruth Teakle). My long-time friend and colleague will gently lead you into your Heavenly Father’s heart of love, where you will learn to cultivate and reap a rich harvest of patience, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control in your life.

—Sandra E. Noel RN (retired)

Former Provincial Prayer Coordinator, Women’s Ministries PAONL

Former National Board Member, Women’s Aglow Canada

Present Member, International Committee

International Friendship League, iflworld.org

CULTIVATING GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL

Copyright © 2023 by Ruth Teakle

All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (TPT) are taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture quotations marked (VOICE) are taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked (WEB) are taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Scripture quotations marked (NCV) are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN: 978-1-4866-2423-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4866-2424-9

Word Alive Press

119 De Baets Street, Winnipeg, MB R2J 3R9

www.wordalivepress.ca

Cataloguing in Publication may be obtained through Library and Archives Canada

These two aspects of love

—gentleness and self-control—

take strength, time, challenges, and patience to cultivate.

The evidence of the work of the Spirit has been before me daily

in the life of our daughter

Janelle May Wood

to whom I dedicate this book.

Whether entertaining the many neighbourhood kids wall-to-wall

in her home, serving on the school’s parent council, teaching teenagers

to drive, or gently caring for her clients in the retirement home,

she sweetly, with God’s help, models for all of us

gentleness and self-control.

Getting Ready

But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit …

—Galatians 5:22–23, TPT (emphasis added)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

—Galatians 5:22–23, NKJV (emphasis added)

Let’s face it—engaging in a Christian walk characterized by gentleness and self-control can seem distasteful, weak, and certainly