THE POWER OF
MEEKNESS IN LIFE AND MINISTRY
Matthew 5:5
To be meek is to be humble, to be lowly, to be gentle, to
be submissive, to be patient, to be calm and quiet, to be unresisting,
unruffled. In the world, the meek is despised; the humble is not reckoned with.
The lowly is supposed to be trampled upon and life squeezed out of those who
are gentle and submissive like the worm. But the principle of Christ is very,
very different. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
When things happen and people try to belittle you, to disregard you, to walk
over you, be meek and be blessed. He (Christ, not they) is testing you: He is
allowing them to test your Christian faith, to know whether you are lowly and
humble or you are proud and haughty. He wants you to understand that the meek
are those who are unresisting and unruffled when belittled and disregarded by
others.
The people of the world always go the opposite direction;
while Christ teaches meekness, they preach self-confidence, self-esteem, self-assertion
and self-respect. They want to show that they are not meek and they cannot be
meek. The Lord does not want us to be like the civil rights activists fighting
for our rights. Be meek. Don’t fight for anything; receive the message of
Christ and have the mind of Christ. This is not a new revelation; it has always
been the mind of God (Psalm 37:11; Isaiah 29:19). The Lord is calling us to
meekness of character, disposition and attitude that will be visible.
1. PROPER
PERSPECTIVE OF MEEKNESS
Matthew 5:5; Psalm 45:4; Zephaniah 2:3; 1
Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Ephesians 4:2; Matthew 11:29; Colossians
3:12; 1 Peter 3:4; Galatians 5:22,23.
The meek are those who have mourned for their
sins and the sins of others that they influenced to sin. Meekness shows that
the forgiven sinner is grateful to God and appreciative of the blessing of God
upon his life. There are seven things that are connected with meekness; you
cannot separate meekness from them. They are: (i) Meekness and truth (ii) Meekness
and righteousness (iii) Meekness and love (iv) Meekness and gentleness (v)
Meekness and lowliness (vi) Meekness and humility (vii) Meekness and a quiet
spirit. The meekness that is acceptable in the sight of the Lord is joined and
connected with truth, righteousness, love, gentleness, lowliness, humility and
quietness of spirit. Meekness is one of the fruit of the Spirit. Meekness
enables us to submit unto God and to quietly endure provocations from man
without being inflamed.
2. PROVEN
PEOPLE WITH MEEKNESS
Numbers 12:1-13; Genesis 13:5-12;
14:1,2,11-16; 18:17-32; 19:15-17,29; 2 Samuel 16:5-14; Matthew 11:28-30; Isaiah
53:7-10; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Ephesians 4:1,2,15.
The lifestyle of Moses shows his meekness. In
spite of the envy and jealousy of Aaron and Miriam against him, the Bible says
that “the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the
face of the earth.” This
meekness, like Christ’s meekness, is not the same as weakness of character,
lack of conviction, timidity of spirit or passive disposition of temper as seen
in Aaron (Exodus 32:1,21,22), Eli (1 Samuel 2:22-24) or David (1 Kings 1:5,6).
Meekness without conviction or courage leads
to compromise and judgement. Christ, in His meekness, did not fail to warn
unrepentant sinners (Matthew 11:20-30). Meekness makes us not to fight back or
defend self; rather, it makes us to uphold and defend God’s glory. When Miriam
became leprous as a result of her misdeed against Moses, he “cried unto
the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.” He was not one
of those who want their enemies to suffer because they offend them. Also,
although Abraham was older than Lot, because he was meek, he avoided a possible
clash that would have followed the problem their servants had. Those who are
meek do not fight over their rights or property. Abraham did not rejoice in the
problem of Lot in spite of what he had done to him. Meekness always enables
those who have been hurt to help those who have hurt them. When you are meek,
there is no end to the help you render. The angels delivered Lot because of
Abraham’s intercession. These Bible characters submitted themselves unto God
and quietly endured provocations from man without being inflamed. If they were
able to do it, we are well able through the grace we receive from the Lord.
3. PROMISED
POSSESSION FOR THE MEEK
Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:11,18,19,29,34;
25:9; 22:26-28; 149:4; Isaiah 29:19,20;
1
Peter 3:4,9-12; Ephesians 5:5-7; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Matthew 19:29; 1 Peter
1:3-5.
The meek are humble, submissive, unresisting,
unruffled under provocation; and the Lord has promised to guide, teach and
bless such with abundance. If you really want the blessings of the Lord in your
life and the inheritance He has promised to His own children, then, first
receive grace to be humble, submissive and meek. The meek, the one that has the
quality of character of Christ does not render “evil for evil, or railing
for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called,
that ye should inherit a blessing.” And “the eyes
of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers”.
May God make us meek and may the meekness of Christ be reproduced in our
character and nature. Then the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled in our
lives. Remember, “blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
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