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Meek people are happy and vice versa
Have you ever seen a proud, arrogant person who was truly happy? Generally,
they find fault with others in order to maintain their perceived superiority.
On the other hand, a meek, gentle, lowly and humble person tends to be quite
content with what life and circumstances bring.
Question: Who is someone who demonstrates meekness?
Humility follows mourning
Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). But because it rhymes with “weakness,” we
often have a misunderstanding of the word. Jesus described Himself as meek
(Matt. 11:29) but He certainly wasn’t weak. If you have ever had to genuinely
show humility, gentleness and meekness, it is certainly one of the hardest
things a Christian is called to do. Someone described being meek as being:
Mighty-Being meek is not for
the weak or faint of heart
Emotionally Stable-Meek people
control their emotions
Educable-You cannot teach a
proud person
Kind-Without loving kindness, all else is clanging noise
In this Beatitude, Jesus quotes Psalm 37:10-11: For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you
will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the
earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
After an impoverished spirit and mourning over sins, we inherit a sense
of lowliness, knowing that only by the grace of God are we saved. The beatitudes
grow within us as attitudes and actions we submissively develop. We should be
making make steps upwards in our Christian discipleship for the rest of our
lives.
If we reject meekness, we need to go back to
impoverishing our prideful self-spirit and mourn over our sins, asking the Holy
Spirit to infill us, to control us and to impart His spiritual fruit within us.
Question:
How are the steps
of the Beatitudes
like the picture
to the right?
Happy are the mighty
When we think of meekness, mightiness does not come to mind. But it
should. A picture of meekness is often given of a strong and wild horse,
brought under control, utilizing his mighty strength as a great asset. Paul
wrote this in 2 Corinthians 10:
1Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ,
who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: 2But I beseech you,
that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I
think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to
the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;)
Question: How are you strong in meekness?
Happy are the emotionally stable
Jesus was emotionally stable. When insults were hurled at Him, He did
not return them. During His crucifixion, he could have called down legions of angels,
yet he didn’t lose control. He knew who He was, what His inheritance was and
what the final outcome would be. See Matt. 11.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is
easy and My burden is light.”
Question: When are you emotionally out of
control?
Happy are the educable
James, the half-brother of the
Lord, at first rejected Jesus as the Messiah. But with a teachable heart, he
learned meekness. He wrote that we should “receive
with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” In James
3:13-18, he wrote of meekness and wisdom:
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct
that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14But if you have
bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the
truth...
Questions: Can you learn from your
mistakes? Better yet, do you?
Happy are the kind
A meek person is kind, not quick to pounce, having the love described in
1 Corinthians 13. A meek person will show the gospel as described in 1 Peter
3:15-16, “15 But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a
reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as
evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.”
Question: Why is it hard for believers
to be kind?
The oxymoronic Beatitude
The teachings of Christ often seem contradictory or oxymoronic. A person
who inherits the earth surely is one who fought, clawed, and bargained to win.
This beatitude seemingly goes against common sense: the meek often are taken
advantage of. They don’t inherit the earth.
But notice the word “inherit.” We
inherit a kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world (Matt.
25:34). Just as the poor in spirit have the kingdom of heaven, we will someday
inherit an earth on which we shall reign (Rev. 5:10, 20:6).
Question: Where do we reign after the
millennium (Rev. 22:5)?
