The Tender-hearted

Tender-hearted.

Love that is reflected through tender persuasion.

These are the traits of one who is in Christ Jesus. The tender-hearted let everyone with whom they come in contact know that he or she matters--that they are important and easy to love through Christ. The follower of Christ tries to tenderly persuade others to come to Him for forgiveness and, having come to Him, to follow Him in obedience. They are never harsh in their actions or in their words. As a mother tenderly cares for her child, so the disciple tenderly cares for the needs of those God has placed in his or her life. They are spontaneous nurturers. And like a shepherd they tenderly search for the wandering lamb, and when found, they tenderly take him in the arms of love and bring him back to the safety of the fold. Bruised by their wanderings and nights lost on the hillsides of doubt and disobedience, they find only a tender forgiveness in the pursuing love of the shepherd. Tenderness springs from a sympathetic, empathetic, forgiving heart. Having been a wanderer himself, the tender-hearted is gentle, willing to stoop down and lift up the fallen. Since an eternal tenderness flows from the heart of God, let us view others as being more important than ourselves, view the needs of others as more important than our own. Let the mind of Christ exhibited in His servant's heart be expressed in our tenderness toward others.

There is no greater strength, no persuasive love, mightier or deeper than the touch of a tender heart.