Are You Meek?
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 KJ
First of all I want to say to you that meekness is not a character of weakness, but one of great strength and courage. This is a great lesson for me today. I am faced with a situation in which I need to confront someone. I really want to face the situation with wisdom, meekness and soft conversation. I want to put forth a proper, Christ-like attitude. I really want this to come from my heart, not just because I know it’s the right thing to do. It would be easy to let my human “attack the error” instinct show itself. But, I am asking the Lord to give my heart the strength and courage to become meek. I know that the Lord will help me, and I know that most things are very solvable when dealt with properly. So it is with an open teachable heart that I write Day 9, understanding that it is God’s plan for us to become “meek” for His purpose.
To be meek, in God’s view, is not just an outward behavior. It is a spiritual discipline from the heart. It is to be like Jesus. He said of Himself in Matthew 11: 29, “I am meek and lowly in heart“. A great definition of a meek person is: One who exhibits gentleness, mild temper, humility and submissiveness. Okay, I’m done for! Just kidding. It does sound like too much to hope for. But, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. God has made a way for us. It is by His grace, and only His grace, we are able. Our ability to be meek depends on our total dependence on God. If our hearts are meek toward God, we will be led to be meek toward others. One of the ‘Greek words for meek is ” ‘Prautes. The meaning is this: It is not a man’s outward behavior only, nor his mere natural disposition, rather it is an in-wrought grace of the soul and the expressions of it are first and chiefly toward God…we do not dispute this. ‘Prautes is not readily expressed in English since the term meekness suggests weakness, but ‘Prautes is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness not in weakness but power. It is born in strength of character.” Quote from The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible
Being a follower of Christ is all about getting over ourselves, isn’t it? James 4:6 says, “God gives grace to the humble“. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said that “to follow Him, we will need to deny ourselves”.
As for “inherit the earth”…I think its meaning is both physical and spiritual, the now and that to come. Psalm 37:11 says, “the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace“. One of the fruits of meekness is a content mind. We shall have peace and contentment today. 1 Corinthians 3:21 says, “…let no man glory in men: For all things are yours;…whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours“.
Key #3 to spiritual blessedness is to become meek. The gift we receive is the earth.
Thought to Ponder: Are you meek?
Scripture to Ponder: James 3:13-18 (I think this passage of Scripture is a great illustration of what meekness is, and is not) After you have read this passage, write down the qualities of meekness. Then write down the result for seeking self. I’ll give you a clue. It is in verse 16, and the word begins with “C” (KJ) or “D” (NIV).
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