Blessed Are The Meek

 

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

    The Amplified Bible states it like this:

  Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.

BLESSED

    Here, blessed means more than happy. We are peaceful for we have the peace of Christ living within us. We are spiritually secure for we have Eternal Life through Jesus Christ, Who loves us and died for us. We are worthy of respect because of our faith in God through The Name of His Only Begotten Son. 

    Our blessing comes from God and because of this we are persecuted by anyone who is not of God. Though our persecutors rail against us by their words and their actions, we are still blessed of God when we allow Him to have the victory. We choose to let Him fight our battles for us by praying for those who come against us, by speaking The Word of Life over them and to them in the love of God Which is alive in our hearts and minds. 

ARE THE MEEK

    With Christ Jesus as our example, we are gentle, for He is gentle.

    Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

    Philippians 2:5-8

5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:  

6. Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 

7. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

    We are self-controlled, for we have His Holy Spirit teaching us how to be so and speak so, following Christ's example for us.

    Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

    1 Peter 2:23

When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

    It is difficult at times to not want to brashly respond to someone who is unjustly coming against us, even in our own homes [Psalm 38:12-15]. Our feelings get hurt; we are gaslit by a loved one; we are abused or slandered. Yet, as Christ's beloved we must maintain a gentle heart, if we are to advance God's directive in this world. For we must remember, this world in which we live is not our home.

    Hebrews 11:13

All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

    1 Peter 2:11,12

11. Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

12. Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles (the unbelieving} that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

    We need God's Holy Spirit in us that He may instill within our hearts and minds His precious fruit: Galatians 5:22,23 "Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Temperance."

    These are not just attributes of the believer, they are blessings from God The Father upon His chosen people [1 Peter 2:9], His flock [John 10:27]. 

    Love: Agape-"a holy, self‐giving disposition that originates in God, is displayed perfectly in Jesus Christ, and is implanted in believers by the Holy Spirit" [John 13:34]

    Joy: Chara-" the settled, Spirit-given delight that arises from the redemptive acts and abiding presence of God" [Nehemiah 8:10]

    Peace: Eiréné- "it is the positive, covenantal state that flows from God’s redemptive work in Christ and is applied by The Holy Spirit to individuals and communities" [Ephesians 2:14]

    Patience: Makrothumia- "a God-centered restraint that endures provocation without surrendering to resentment or retaliation. .. A purposeful waiting that preserves righteousness and seeks the good of others. .. Spirit-empowered resilience" [Colossians 1:11]

    Kindness: Chréstotés- "the Spirit-produced goodness which meets the need and avoids human harshness; meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing. A supernatural product of regeneration. " [Titus 3:4,5; Romans 2:4]

     Goodness: Agathosune- "the goodness that comes from God; spiritual, moral excellence:  virtue actively expressed in generosity and righteous initiative toward others. Moral integrity" [Ephesians 5:8,9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11,12]

    Faithfulness: Pistis- "reliance upon Christ for salvation; being daily filled by God with additional faith to accomplish His purposes" [Romans 12:2,3; Ephesians 2:8,9; Hebrews 11:1] 

    Gentleness: Prautés- "meekness, humility; begins with The Lord's inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It is a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith: inner strength under Holy Spirit control" [Isaiah 42:2; Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 3:15,16]

    Temperance: Egkrateia- "proceeding out from within oneself, but not by oneself; the Spirit-enabled mastery of desires, impulses, and habits so that they serve rather than rule the believer." [Romans 12]

THEY INHERIT THE EARTH

    Not this world, this earth, but the new earth which God will create after His purposes have been accomplished on this earth. 

    Romans 4:13

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

    Isaiah 57:13

When you cry out, let your companies (idolatrous heaps) deliver you; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain.

    Isaiah 65:17

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

    Revelation 21:1

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

    And, as Peter reminds us, the believers, in 2 Peter 3, there is coming a day when all of this earth and all of her skies and seas will disappear. With this announcement comes a warning to all, believer and unbeliever alike: God is Judge and will judge all on a day that is yet to be declared. [2 Peter 3:1-7]

    We must endeavor to maintain our relationship with God through Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit. The days in which we live now, though hard days, are more comfortable to us than the days we have yet to live, which will be nearly insufferable; yet suffer we will. Through it all, we are to keep hold of our faith and live holy and godly lives. [2 Peter 3:8-13]

    And he wraps it all up neatly [2 Peter 3:14-18] by exhorting, encouraging, the church of believers to (1) Be found at peace {spotless, blameless}; (2) Remember the Lord's patience which leads to salvation; (3) Be on our guard against false doctrines; (4) Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

    Let this same exhortation be to us, as well. Let us be seen as "the blessed of The Lord God". Let us be known as meek in every aspect of the word. Let us be longing for our mansions which The Lord is preparing for us. 

    Let us work together in unity of The Spirit and the freedom thereof that the will of God be accomplished through our actions. Let us express our hope and our yearning for that day in which we will be reunited with our Groom. And let us take as many of our family and friends, strangers and enemies, as we can, with us. For all have been invited. The invitation has gone out and The Groom and The Father are waiting for a response.

    Come to Jesus and Live.  

    

    

    

    

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Fourteen

1 Corinthians 13:4d

Love does not boast.

    To boast means to be prideful; it is self-glorification. What do I have to boast about? Everything we have, we have because God has given it to us. From the moment life is created in the womb to life's last breath is God-ordained. For God set life in motion when He began creating the earth and everything on it, in it and under it. 

   1 Corinthians 4:7

 Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. 

    Paul was warning the church in Corinth not to be puffed up over any one individual, setting them up on spiritual pedestals. We are all equal in merit, for our merit is of God through Christ. We deserve no praise on our salvation, for we did not save ourselves. Nor should we place one person's position within the church above another's, as God has appointed us, not we ourselves, if we are being obedient and faithful in our service to God.

    If there is anything in us worthy of praise, let it be God Who praises and not we ourselves. If there is anything in us that deserves a reward, let it be God Who rewards us and not we ourselves. Yes, the workman is worthy of his or her hire, and pay increases must be made when deemed proper. But if cleaning the bathroom is beneath their pay grade, then they are not worthy to be behind the pulpit, either. 

    Since Loving like Christ is not boastful, it must be humble. We maintain a quality of modesty in our speaking to and of one another. We are meek. This does not mean we are weak in any sense. We are meek like our Savior. Meekness is gentleness. When appropriate, meekness is silence when being judged by others. 

    Meekness is restraint. Think about that for a moment. It is self-control, temperance. Unboastful Love controls its emotions and responses. Sometimes we are not even aware that some of our responses to antagonism are coming from our mouths. Habitual behavioral responses from us need to be repented of and grinded off of these crusty hearts. 

    The Wisdom of God (The Holy Spirit) teaches us to be like Christ, not only in our hearts, but in every woven moment in life. Our responses, our actions, our thoughts are all accountable to God every day. We encourage each other with The Word of God: we sharpen the rough edges from each other with The Word of God. That's Love. 

    Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 

    Colossians 3:16

Let The Word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

    Hebrews 10:24, 25

And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

    1 Peter 4:10

As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 

    Let us continue to "Love one another" as Christ has loved us.  

 

"Father, You are my reason for living. You are The One Who has shown me how to Love like You Love: unconditionally. Without condemnation, but with hope. Without judgment, but with mercy. Without retribution, but with grace. Not withholding Your Love from anyone, but giving to all generously. Even when such generosity is rejected, still we must extend Your Lovingkindness to everyone. And I believe, Lord, that the more often we do that, You will increase within us. May we all Love like Your Son Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen."

Blessed Are The Meek

 

    Matthew 5:5

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

    Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.

    The third blessing is to be meek like Christ. The word meek means "to exercise God's strength under His control". Jesus is not a wimp, nor is He the underdog character. As He went about His ministry, He did so meekly. He exercised great strength, great power without wielding God's judgment. For judgment is not why He came at that time. 

    John 3:17

For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

    Condemnation requires judgment. Jesus is Savior, not Judge. God is Judge and God has set the time and the place for judgment. While Grace is still evident in this world, now is the time to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. 

     Meekness is evidence of The Holy Spirit within a believer. It is a part of the fruit of The Spirit. Galatians 5:23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

    Even when He threw the moneychangers in the temple courts, He exercised great control - Mark 11:15.He could easily have destroyed them; instead He taught them - Mark 11:17- that's Grace. 

    To be meek is to exhibit divine gentle strength which operates, or moves, on faith. Everything about us works in the realm of our faith, including the fruit of The Spirit. We should not be losing our tempers over petty things. I'd give examples, but The Spirit will reveal to you exactly what He is referring to in your own life. 
    We do not hate. We love. We bless. Meekness is divine love in action both as it works within us and is exhibited by us. We are gentle, we are kind, we are meek. We hold our tongues and gossip not. We are not easily frustrated but simply silently pray for strength and we receive it. We are to be like Christ, wearing the yoke of divine strength and humility. 

    Let us even now ask for it that we may receive the blessing of meekness upon us and exercise it within us. If we want to have peace in our hearts and minds, we need the Peace of Christ living in us in all His fulness, including His meekness. 

    

Blessed Are The Meek

For They Shall Inherit The Earth
Matthew 5:5

As I read this verse, I am asked two things simultaneously: #1 Who are the meek? and #2 What does it mean to be meek?

One thing we do know, it is not this earth as we know it that the Scripture refers to. This earth will pass away -- Revelation 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." 
2 Peter 3:10

Now that we know which earth the meek get to inherit, let's find out who the meek are. By studying the word meek referenced here, we see it is a quote from the Book of Psalms. Psalm 37:11 "But the meek shall inherit the earth; And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." But when we read Psalm 37 from the beginning to the end, we see not only who the meek are, but what they are, thereby telling us what it means to be meek.  

1. FRET NOT thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. In other words: stop worrying yourself to death over the evil committed by folks in this world. And stop wanting what they have. 

2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 

3. TRUST in The LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. It's not just about doing good deeds, or committing random acts of kindness: one must first trust in The LORD, then do good. God is our Provider. 

4. DELIGHT thyself also in The LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Delight means to 'take great joy in'. 

5, COMMIT THY WAY unto The LORD; TRUST also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. When we truly commit our ways unto God's ways, we need to rely on Him, trust Him, that He will do what He says He will do. And He will: God does not lie. 

6. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (the results of committing and trusting).

7. REST in The LORD, and wait patiently for Him: FRET NOT thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the wicked man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (cf Matthew 11:28 [Rest])

8. CEASE FROM ANGER, and FORSAKE WRATH: FRET NOT thyself in any wise to do evil. Pretty self-explanatory there. Or maybe not. 

See, when we get angry, we tend to explode in unrighteous words and actions. Road rage is a good example of this. Some folks get frustrated when they drive, always thinking the other driver is at fault. With road rage, these faults are exaggerated in the angry person; they behave aggressively, at times taking the life of the other driver(s) with whom they think is at fault. 

Now, while that is one of the extreme examples of doing evil while angry, there are lesser intents that we don't always acknowledge:

a. Do we get offended when we feel slighted or overlooked? 

b. Do we post hateful messages on our social media?

9. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon The LORD, they shall inherit the (new) earth.

10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 

11. But the meek shall inherit the (new) earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 

12. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 

13. The LORD shall laugh at him (the wicked): for He seeth that his day is coming. 

14. The wicked have drawn out their sword, and bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. -- Here the meek are portrayed as poor and needy and upright conversation. 

15, Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16. A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. 

17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but The LORD upholdeth the righteous. 

18. The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of The LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. Deuteronomy 15:6; Jeremiah 15:10; Proverbs 22:9.

22. For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off.

23. The steps of a good man are ordered by The LORD; and he delighteth in His way. 1 Samuel 2:9.

24. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for The LORD upholdeth him with His hand. 

25. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Deuteronomy 32:6.

26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

27. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. 

28. For The LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. 

30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. 

32. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. -- This is why we need to be alert to what is going on around us in this world. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is a threat to the wickedness of this world. We seek to spread the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to all who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. The evil in this world seeks our destruction. We must watch and pray, not just at set times, but throughout our days and into our nights. 1 Peter 5:8 

33. The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. 

34. Wait on The LORD, and keep His way. And he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. -- Waiting on our LORD does not mean we sit around and do nothing until we see Him move. When we dine out, does our waiter or waitress just sit there? No. The wait staff show us to our seats, ask us what we want, turn our orders in and brings us what we have asked for. Jesus is looking for people to serve in such a capacity. Have we shown Him where He can sit? Is He enthroned in our hearts? Have we asked Him what He wants? Are we ready to take His order? Obey His Word? Submit to His commands? Are we bringing Him what He has asked us for? And in what manner are we serving? Are we His servants? 

35. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. 

36. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. 

38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. 

39. But the salvation of the righteous is of The LORD: He is their strength in the time of trouble.

40. And The LORD shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him. 

In this one chapter alone we see who the meek are. And what it means to be meek. The righteous. The upright. The perfect. Not in and of ourselves, though; for without Christ our righteousness is filthy rags. Jesus Christ living in us makes us perfect. Living out God's Word in our lives makes us upright. Knowing Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior makes us righteous. It is His righteousness that covers us. 

The meek do not let anger, bitterness, frustration, unforgiveness, grudges, irritation, violence, irascibility, conniption fits, tantrums and the like rule in their hearts. Temperance is taking control of our emotions and letting The Holy Spirit guide us in the way we should behave. Once we understand what God is saying to us, we cannot allow ourselves to treat one another in a way that is not prosperous for our souls. We must commit to loving one another as Christ has loved us: unconditionally, without merit, all-encompassing; forgiving all faults, whether the offending party is repentant or not. 

The meek  are not ashamed of their faith in their God. --Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

When we reference Roget's Thesaurus, we see synonyms for the word meek, some of which are apt; others, not so much, as context must be considered also. We need to go into Strong's Exhaustive Concordance to see the definition of meek. 

Roget's Thesaurus: click link to see meek synonyms

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

#6039 Humble, needy, poor, meek gentle.  (Old Testament "meek" defined.

(New Testament "meek" defined): 

Cognate: 4239 praýs (also listed as 4239 a/praupathia in NAS dictionary) –meek. See 4236 (praótēs).

This difficult-to-translate root (pra-) means more than "meek." Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control– i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness.

[The English term "meek" often lacks this blend – i.e. of gentleness (reserve)and strength.]

I like that: Meekness is exercising God's strength under His control, demonstrating power without undue harshness. How like God to show us that when He is in it, we are 'more than' what we appear to be.