The Meek Will What??

“The meek will inherit the earth.” That’s what Jesus said (Matthew 5:5). And on so many levels it makes no sense!

How do we see it? The dealmaker gets things done. To the victor go the spoils. Being assertive and even aggressive in some instances ensures the greatest result. Taking calculated risks often brings great rewards. To get ahead, have big goals and an ambitious agenda, work hard, be persistent and don’t compromise on your dreams. And these things are not necessarily wrong.

But the biggest reward – the earth – goes to the meek? How can this be?

Meek

The first thing to remember is that meek isn’t weak! Jesus was meek and he certainly wasn’t weak. In fact, meekness can be described as power under self-control. It means that we aren’t loud, narcissistic, proud and the self-seeking center of attention.

Meekness compels us to look with humility to God and rely on his power and promises. It invites his power into our lives and helps us follow Jesus with total trust and reliance. This attitude allows us to more clearly see God’s will for our lives.

Remember that God is the creator of the earth and all that is in it. As such, it is his and he gives it to whom he wants. Jesus clearly stated that it is God’s will to give the earth to those who are meek!

How to cultivate meekness in your life

Everything we do, as followers of Jesus, starts with surrender. In surrendering to God’s will, we open ourselves up to his direction and help.

Surrendering is an act of the will – it is born when we know in our minds by faith and reason that it is the only way to fully live. It is this belief in the nature and promises and power of God that starts to change how we think and adopt all the ways of God – so many of which seem counter-intuitive.

At this point, we seek to do what he is calling us to do. Instead of self-seeking, we become God-seeking. Again, this is our desire to trust God made manifest in how we think, what we say and how we act. By trusting in God, we express our confidence that he will do what only he can do. He alone is our very great reward!

Growing in meekness is a life-long practice. It is too easy to revert to the desire to have our own way to say that we have ever arrived at a point of perfect meekness! So our surrender to God’s leadership in our lives becomes a daily commitment.

We also cultivate meekness by spending time in the word of God and in prayer. It is our daily communion with him that strengthens our spiritual lives. Knowing his word helps us to know him better.

Meekness also grows as we worship with other followers of Jesus and spend time in holy fellowship with them. The more we do to experience God’s presence the stronger we become spiritually and the more like Jesus we are.

Be meek

Decide today that you want to be meek. Ask God to help you to be totally surrendered all the time and look to him with complete trust and confidence.