![]() “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”- Matthew 5:5 This has always been both a simple Beatitude for me to comprehend, and a very difficult one. On the one hand, being meek has always been a quality of God that I am attracted to, and when I meet meek people, I always enjoy being with them. Meekness has always been something that I enjoy. In that way I always understood this Beatitude. The Greek word for “meek” is “Praus” which means to be gentle, humble, considerate, patient, or kind. So someone who is meek is someone who is gentle towards others, humble, considerate, patient, and kind. That’s pretty basic. Obviously, God loves people like this. Throughout the Bible, we find passages where God desires for us to be these things. Passages like Philippians 2:3, which says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” are simple and clear. 1 Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind… it does not boast…” God’s love is all about meekness. The part that was more difficult to understand about this Beatitude was inheriting the earth. I’ve never thought that inheriting the earth was something that I should pursue. I want to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus tells that the goal should be the Kingdom of Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul states the same basic thing. Inheriting the Kingdom of God/the Kingdom of Heaven is our goal. And the 1 st Beatitude was the one that tells us how to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Not only has that, but James 2:5 reminded us that Jesus taught us how to inherit that kingdom by summarizing Jesus in Matthew 5:3… Also, in verse 10, it says those who are persecuted because of righteousness have the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is clearly my goal, as it is for all of us. It is because of this I have always struggles with inheriting the earth. When looking for better understanding, I came across Isaiah 57:15: “For this is what the High and Exalted One says— He who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is remorseful and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the repentant.” It’s here in Isaiah that I found a better understanding of what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5:5. When we are Meek- gentle, humble, kind, considerate, patient- it is because we have a heart of contriteness (remorse), we are lowly in spirit. When we get to this place, Holy Spirit has access to our soul and can bring comfort. When Holy Spirit does this, He not only revives our soul, but also our spirit, and I have never met anyone who has been revived by Holy Spirit who was struggling with their thoughts or emotions. People who have been revived by Holy Spirit have personally tasted and seen the goodness of God. They know Him. They are permanently impacted by the Presence of God- the Doxa presence. The old no longer has any appeal. The more we encounter Holy Spirit, the stronger we get. But the strength that comes from Him isn’t a strength that manifests as power, in the sense of bullying and violence. It is a strength of character, as if we stand on a foundation so strong that even when massive winds and waves come we don’t falter. We don’t waiver. Every person I have ever met that has this calm assurance inside them has been meek. They are always gentle, always humble, always considerate and patient, always kind. I don’t mean they are individually perfectly gentle 100% of the time. I’m saying that every person is gentle and humble, considerate and patient, and kind. I am saying that meekness is a true characteristic of the person who has been revived by God. And for these rare people, who have surrendered their pride, their ego, their excuses, they are unfazed by the world. The earth, its prince, and principles have no effect on these people. It’s as if they are King, and they know it. They don’t lose their character when bad things happen. They don’t lose their faith. They are like David: a man who pursued God’s heart. They don’t worry when crazy things happen. David’s son wanted to be king and talked most of the country into letting him be their king. David let it happen. He didn’t freak out when his throne and crown were taken from him. His loyal soldiers wanted to kill the people who turned on him, and they wanted David to take his throne back. But David didn’t do that. He remained meek, because he had been revived by God. From a lowly shepherd, God revived David, making him the hero of the nation, and then He made David king. David knew God had chosen him, not his son to be king. David didn’t panic. He actually calmed everyone else down, and eventually got his throne back. David never doubted. Why? Because he had been revived. He had become meek. Nothing the earth can throw at us can affect us, if we are truly meek. Why? Holy Spirit will make sure that when He revives our lowly, repentant hearts, He brings true transformation. The toughest, most violent among us become gentle. I knew a man, who has passed in recent years, that was a brutal man of the world. He did drugs, sold drugs, and even killed some people. He was a cold-blooded killer, with no remorse. One day, he met God, and he began to change. Holy Spirit saw the remorse in his heart, and entered in, transforming him into a bold, yet meek, preacher of the Gospel. I went on many mission trips with this man, and listened/watched as he led countless people to Jesus. I didn’t know him personally before he met God in my grandfather’s church, but I know many people who did. To give you a sense of the type of man he was before he met God, he actually came to kill his wife during church, carrying a loaded pistol. Before he could pull the trigger, in the middle of the Sunday morning service, God met him and transformed him. I knew him for 22 years, and never saw him lose his temper. I never saw any violence in him. But he also was as bold as any man I ever met, as he would talk to anyone about Jesus. Always with the most gentle voice, most patient heart, most kind and considerate humility. May we all be as meek as Jesse was. Because the earth will be our inheritance… Bless you.
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AuthorWritten by a few for the many. Archives
July 2023
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