“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5
We need some clarity about what it means to be meek given that Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth. We need that clarity because it’s followers of Jesus who will inherit the earth, which means all followers of Jesus – all of them – must be meek. That means you must be meek if Jesus is your Lord!
First of all, meekness isn’t weakness. The Bible describes Moses as being extremely meek (Numbers 12:3) and he certainly wasn’t weak. He confronted Pharaoh and led Israel to freedom from slavery. He led the nation and judged their disputes. He was firm and strong, yet meek. Paul makes an appeal by the meekness of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1) and He certainly wasn’t weak. He confronted hypocrisy, battled Satan, and died on a cross for our salvation. He was firm, strong, sinless, yet meek. Rid yourself of any association between meekness and having a spirit of timidity, fear, or weakness.
Meekness really describes full submission to the will and way of Jesus. It describes a humble recognition that God is infinitely greater than yourself so there’s always a deep desire to learn more from Him and obey Him more fully. Meekness describes a posture that assumes you don’t have everything figured out and so you listen well and carefully consider everything you read in Scripture while also learning from others. It’s being firm and direct in your faith without being abrasive or abusive.
Meekness describes the strong gentleness and enduring patience that grows from having a deep awareness of the limits of your knowledge, wisdom, and abilities combined with a desire to fully follow Christ and grow in Him. It’s showing love and patience toward others who don’t deserve it, not because you’re weak but because you’re strong in Christ. Meekness is a desire to bring glory to God rather than yourself. Are you meek?
#FollowJesus