Humility and Meekness Doe Not Equal Weakness

In review of Matthew 5:5 it says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (NIV).

Today’s verse comes from Matthew 5:3-10, where Jesus teaches us the Beatitudes. In verse 5 He tells us that God blesses those who are humble and meek, for they will inherit the whole earth.

The core of the Beatitudes is that God's way of living usually contradicts the world's. If I want to live for God, I must be ready to say and do what seems strange. And by giving up my own rights in order to serve others, I will one day receive everything God has in store for me.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, wealth, power and authority are unimportant. A Kingdom person will seek different blessings and benefits, and ultimately have a different attitude and outlook on life.

So, If I want to make healthy choices to be well and whole again, I’ll have to learn to be meek. Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (NIV).

The Bible lists many benefits of meekness: The meek will be satisfied (Psalm 22:26); God will guide (Psalm 25:9); will become wise (Proverbs 11:2); they will be filled with fresh joy (Isaiah 29:19).

There are many, many other benefits. The problem is, we misunderstand this term. We don’t really know what meekness is. In fact, we often confuse it with another term that sounds like it — “meek” sounds like “weak.” Nobody wants to be weak, so nobody wants to be meek.

But the truth is that meekness and weakness are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Meekness is in no way weakness. In fact, the Greek word for meekness literally means “strength under control.” To be meek is not to be weak. It’s used to describe a wild stallion that has been tamed. That stallion still has all the strength it had when it was wild, but now its strength is under control. It is strength bottled up for the master’s use. God doesn’t want you to be weak, but he does want you to be meek. The Bible teaches that it’s one of the keys to stress reduction in your life.

Here’s a simple definition of the word meek: Let go, and let God. That is the essence of meekness. It is surrendering, submitting, and agreeing to what God wants to do in your life. It’s letting God be God in your life. Let go, and let God.

I probably isn’t any better phrase that will do more for my health physically or emotionally than this. If I’ll begin to practice it in my life, it will relieve stress and eliminate worry. If I’ll let go and let God, it will defuse anger and end my hurt and resentment.

Bottom Line:

Blessing come to those who are meek and humble.

What this means to me:

I need to maintain control of myself (power under control), and have humility as a key characteristics of who I am. God will bless me for this.

In summary, God will bless me when I am humble and meek (use my power under his control.) Meek is not weak. I need to be ready to say and do what's opposite for the world. I give up my rights in order to serve others. I need to "Let go, and let God".

In the last week or two I have had several situations of failure and selecting the wrong priorities at work. Myself and my team have been suffering from the tyranny of the urgent. In this last few weeks I have learned some new perspectives that are re-adjusting my values. I need to let my desires/actions be filtered by the new perspectives and values to arrive at a different behavior pattern. I need to re-consider the important items (big rocks), set aside time to do them regardless of the urgent (small pebbles/rocks.) This morning Father I pray for your wisdom and guidance in evaluating my work tasks and priorities. I ask Father that you guide me in working with my team and others. Also as opportunities come up, I will trust that your will for me will be done. I pray that you help me as I work toward being authentic and do things that reflect you and your glory. In your Son Jesus name, Amen!