A reputation doesn’t make a man tough.”
–Louis L’Amour (Conagher)
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
–Proverbs 16:32(NKJV)
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“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” — Psalm 25:9 (KJV)
Donald Gee, the Scottish preacher, hit the nail on the head when he said, “A truly meek spirit must be one of the hardest things on earth to imitate.” One reason is that we have the wrong idea of what meekness entails. Meekness is not weakness. In fact the opposite, it is the person who has his passions, his emotions, his life under control. As Barclay said, he is “entirely self-controlled.”
The meek will be meek towards God. They will be submissive to His will, not wanting their own way. They will be flexible to God’s Word. I used to tell teachers that one of the beatitudes that was unwritten was “blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape,” but really this is the meek person. They are flexible, in other words, pliable to the Word and conforming to the mind of God. If you do not think that takes strength and self-control, well… The meek person will moderate their passions. They may become angry, but it is always under control, they do not fly off the handle. See, meekness calms the passions; it is the moderator of the soul. In saying this do not get meekness mixed up with always being down on yourselves. Meekness has a proper perspective of self. Zena Bicket writes, “Meekness does not grow out of self-abasement but out of an awareness that the mighty hand of God rests over all of life.”
I am reminded of a story told by Jerry Clower. He played football, a defensive lineman. In a game he was struggling against his opponent, a tough offensive lineman from Baylor. On one play Clower was knocked to the ground, his face planted in the soil. He came up sputtering and pointing his finger at his opponent who had just put the hit on him. “You are supposed to be a Christian, playing for Baylor!” he spluttered. To which the offensive lineman said, in a meek-tone voice, looking at Jerry with a smile, “The Bible says, the meek shall inherit the earth.” Now this was in jest, because inheritance here doesn’t mean inheriting the earth, and in our feeble minds that actually seems to be a contradiction of terms. The world thinks that the meek is a submissive and ineffective creature.
Paul writes in Romans, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory.” (8:17, NIV) It is “the meek, although they may be deprived and disenfranchised by the world, yet because they know what it is to live and reign with Christ, can enjoy and even ‘possess’ the earth which belongs to Christ. Then when Christ returns there will be ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ for them to inherit.” (John Stott) Friend, we have but a taste of our inheritance on this earth. We are truly blessed, but our full inheritance is handed to us when we stand with our Lord in the land to come.
Remember also, this inheritance that we now have is indeed wonderful. Oh, you may now have riches and land, or fame and power, but our inheritance is far greater. It is an eternal inheritance. Arthur Pink declares, “The meek are those who have the greatest enjoyment of the good things of the present life.” If you’re down and out, always moaning and groaning and down in the mullly-grubs, perhaps you need to look again at your inheritance. We are told, and rightly so by Thomas Watson that the, “Lack of meekness evidences lack of grace. True grace inflames love and modifies anger. Grace is like the file which smooths the rough iron.” Are you rough? Let grace begin to smooth out the edges making you more like Jesus–more meek.
David tells us in one of his wonderful Psalms, “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (37:11, NKJV) Peace that the world cannot understand belongs to the meek person – peace beyond understanding. While the world is full of commotion, chaos, and confusion the meek person can rest easily in the knowledge of God and allow the Spirit to bring his rest–part of his inheritance. See, A.W. Tozer has it right, “The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.”
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“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” — Psalm 25:9 (KJV)
Donald Gee, the Scottish preacher, hit the nail on the head when he said, “A truly meek spirit must be one of the hardest things on earth to imitate.” One reason is that we have the wrong idea of what meekness entails. Meekness is not weakness. In fact the opposite, it is the person who has his passions, his emotions, his life under control. As Barclay said, he is “entirely self-controlled.”
The meek will be meek towards God. They will be submissive to His will, not wanting their own way. They will be flexible to God’s Word. I used to tell teachers that one of the beatitudes that was unwritten was “blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape,” but really this is the meek person. They are flexible, in other words, pliable to the Word and conforming to the mind of God. If you do not think that takes strength and self-control, well… The meek person will moderate their passions. They may become angry, but it is always under control, they do not fly off the handle. See, meekness calms the passions; it is the moderator of the soul. In saying this do not get meekness mixed up with always being down on yourselves. Meekness has a proper perspective of self. Zena Bicket writes, “Meekness does not grow out of self-abasement but out of an awareness that the mighty hand of God rests over all of life.”
I am reminded of a story told by Jerry Clower. He played football, a defensive lineman. In a game he was struggling against his opponent, a tough offensive lineman from Baylor. On one play Clower was knocked to the ground, his face planted in the soil. He came up sputtering and pointing his finger at his opponent who had just put the hit on him. “You are supposed to be a Christian, playing for Baylor!” he spluttered. To which the offensive lineman said, in a meek-tone voice, looking at Jerry with a smile, “The Bible says, the meek shall inherit the earth.” Now this was in jest, because inheritance here doesn’t mean inheriting the earth, and in our feeble minds that actually seems to be a contradiction of terms. The world thinks that the meek is a submissive and ineffective creature.
Paul writes in Romans, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory.” (8:17, NIV) It is “the meek, although they may be deprived and disenfranchised by the world, yet because they know what it is to live and reign with Christ, can enjoy and even ‘possess’ the earth which belongs to Christ. Then when Christ returns there will be ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ for them to inherit.” (John Stott) Friend, we have but a taste of our inheritance on this earth. We are truly blessed, but our full inheritance is handed to us when we stand with our Lord in the land to come.
Remember also, this inheritance that we now have is indeed wonderful. Oh, you may now have riches and land, or fame and power, but our inheritance is far greater. It is an eternal inheritance. Arthur Pink declares, “The meek are those who have the greatest enjoyment of the good things of the present life.” If you’re down and out, always moaning and groaning and down in the mullly-grubs, perhaps you need to look again at your inheritance. We are told, and rightly so by Thomas Watson that the, “Lack of meekness evidences lack of grace. True grace inflames love and modifies anger. Grace is like the file which smooths the rough iron.” Are you rough? Let grace begin to smooth out the edges making you more like Jesus–more meek.
David tells us in one of his wonderful Psalms, “But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (37:11, NKJV) Peace that the world cannot understand belongs to the meek person – peace beyond understanding. While the world is full of commotion, chaos, and confusion the meek person can rest easily in the knowledge of God and allow the Spirit to bring his rest–part of his inheritance. See, A.W. Tozer has it right, “The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.”