Jesus declares in His following statements the results of spiritual poverty.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 NIV
Depravity is tangible. It demeans and belittles. It incites hatred and division; a need for power and murderous tendencies. It convinces the world that God doesn't exist or at the very least, He doesn't care. This, beloved, should cause a deep mourning in every believer. A weeping over what breaks God's heart. Jesus, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief said that it is God's mourners who will be comforted.
I used to see meek as weak, timid, or passive; that is until I met Jesus. Jesus Himself was meek. He had all the power of God yet He remained self-controlled. No matter what He faced, He did not resist but instead submitted to the will of God.
So how is meekness defined? It's Strength under control; or Controlled Strength. As we've established, Jesus was not giving us a list of things to do, but of who we become in Him. These are things that do not happen in our own strength. Poor in spirit is a condition of the heart, an awareness of our need for God. Out of that need comes a mourning over sin and its effects. As a result, meekness is produced.
Now, as a fruit of the Spirit, I know I have meekness in me, but just like Jesus’s first two declarations, it's not an automatic posture. It's a minute by minute dependence on Him. Left to myself, meek I am not.
After all, meek people don't care what the world thinks, only of what God thinks. I wrestle with the desire to have significance in the world.
Meek people are gentle and humble. Gentle doesn't exactly describe me and as far as humility, I think, other than Jesus, if we say we're humble, are we actually humble?
Meek people trust God in all things—and wait on Him in all matters.
Doubt creeps in and many times I find myself thinking I know better.
Meek people have self-control—refrain from unrighteous anger, revenge or defensiveness. My filter is often broken.
Jesus was gentle and humble. His very existence was to please His Father in Heaven. He was strong, yet controlled. At every step, He followed the will of God:
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 NLT
This was the ultimate form of meekness.
Meekness also puts us in a posture of listening. With His eyes forever locked on His Father, [Jesus]"scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. . .He told them. . .“Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”(see John 2:15-16). His righteous anger was not contrary to His meekness
As our perfect example, without Jesus our meekness is counterfeit. So, where does that leave us? Where does genuine meekness come from? Andrew Murray explains it this way: [Jesus says]"Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart:" without ceasing the word sounds in our ears as our Lord’s answer to all the sad complaints of His redeemed ones, as to the difficulty of restraining temper. O my brother! why is Jesus, your Jesus, your life, and your strength, why is He the meek and lowly One, if it be not to impart to you, to whom He so wholly belongs, His own meekness? Therefore, only believe! Believe that Jesus is able to fill your heart with His own spirit of meekness. Believe that Jesus Himself will, through His own Spirit, accomplish in you the work that you have in vain endeavored to do."
As dark times loom over us, may we fix our eyes upon Jesus. As He imparts to you His own meekness, you will be encouraged (Psalm 69:32)—crowned with victory (Psalm 149:4)—filled with fresh joy from the Lord (Isaiah 29:19)—your heart will rejoice with everlasting Joy (Psalm 22:26)—and you will have a peace that transcends understanding (Philippians 4:7). This, I believe, is the earthly inheritance Jesus spoke of.
The fruit of the discipline of meekness before God produces in you mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; and Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
It's time, meek one—will you accept God's assignment as He positions you in a broken and lost Babel?
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