Blessed are the Meek

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. "

Matthew 5:5

We will take some time to meditate on this passage together this coming Sunday, if the Lord wills, but in the meantime ponder what the Lord means by these words.

Meek means 'gentle,' 'humble', 'considerate.' Our tendancy is to think of meekness as weaknesses. But consider that Moses was called the meekest man on all the earth (Numbers 12:3) and yet he had a powerful, extraordinary nature. He was humble and meek and yet he was strong. The testimony of Scripture is that meekness is compatible with great strength.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, 'Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others. It is two things. It is my attitude towards myself; and it is an expression of that in my relationship with others." The Beatitudes seem to get more difficult as we continue! Meekness is an internal spiritual reality working itself out in our actions and relationships. This being the case you can see how it follows being 'poor in spirit' and 'mourning.' You cannot be meek unless you are 'poor in spirit'. You cannot be meek unless you see yourself as a sinner and mourn that condition, and with these things in their proper place in your life there is an unwillingness to defend yourself--there is an absence of pride, there is meekness. Blessed/Approved by God are the meek!

Cur Deus Homo? (Why [the] God-Man?)

Cur Deus Homo? Is the title of a book by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) in which he asks, "Why did God become man?" Have you wondered this yourself? --Why does God not simply forgive us, without the necessity of the cross? At this time in the year we tend to spend a little bit more time meditating on the cross, thinking about our sin and maybe even some of us seeking a closer walk with Christ and a deeper understanding of His grace. If we fail to see God for who He is and if we fail to see our sin for what it is we are tempted to minimize God and our own nature and by doing so we will short-circuit the process of growing in grace.

So, why the God-Man? If we sin against one another, we are required to forgive one another. Why does God not do it the same way? Why can't he simply forgive? Anselm's answer was, "if anyone imagines that God can simply forgive us as we forgive others, that person has not yet considered the seriousness of sin. That person has not yet considered what a heavy weight sin is." But furthermore, that person has also not yet considered the majesty of God. As John Stott says, "It is when our perception of God and man, or of holiness and sin, are askew that our understanding of the atonement is bound to be askew also."

When we sin against another man, it is two people who stand as equals. But when we sin against God, we are sinning against the Maker of the universe, a majestic and sovereign God! He is not our equal! Why the God-Man?, because we are sinful, responsible, guilty and lost! There was no other way for our condition to be rectified. Rejoice in Christ who saves sinners! Find hope in Him, for the God-Man is your only hope!

Heart Surgery

What Christianity needs is an exposure to the life-giving logic of the beatitudes and the blessedness of their fearsome surgery. But is this surgery that we want? Would we rather have a mortal disease festering in us than to endure the pain of radical heart surgery?

Many times I think the answer is, ‘yes.’ We would rather have other peoples problems pointed out than to endure the pain of having my toes stepped on, or worse yet my heart laid bare. Are we so foolish to think that God does not see the sickness within? Do we think we can hide? No, may God grant us the grace to endure the loving hands of a wonderful surgeon. May he prune and in the end may we bear much fruit!

Theology For Everyday Life.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25

"Theological questions especially regarding the sovereignty of God are not simply for bookish theologians or seminary students. They are important to each one of us as Christians. How you think about God impacts the way you live and what you want your church to be like. You must have a biblical understanding of God" (Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church pg. 58).


Whether we consistently think about theology or not, our theology (belief about God) determines how we live our life. It determines firstly what/who is the ruler of our life and secondly how we relate to that ruler. Our actions many times betray us and reveal that the very theology we profess, is indeed not what we believe. I fear that many of us have a disconnect between the God about whom we hear preached on Sunday and the god that "helps" us live our life throughout the rest of the week.

We have seen through the past year --in the books of Genesis, and Colossians, and Habakkuk-- that God is in control of all things. Do you believe that? What about when your friends or children betray you? What about when things aren't going well with work? What about when the doctor says that something isn't quite right during your exam?

What do your actions reveal that you believe about God? Is He really sovereign over YOUR life? Is He really able to keep you until the end?