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!
posted by gbc blog @ 9:10 AM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
I have hanging above my computer in the kitchen a copy of James 3:13-18:
Who is wise and understanding among you? by his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
How much of what I do is, deep down, motivated by selfish ambition and jealousy rather than a true view of myself as a broken sinner? God forgive me, and grant me the meekness of His wisdom!
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