Blessed Are The Meek

I woke up this morning to a beautiful mild winter's day. I always feel invigorated early in the morning, excited for the day to come.  I am usually the first person to wake up, even before the alarm clock.  So I took the time to read my scripture for the day.  It came from Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

"Blessed are the meek for,  they will inherit the earth."

 As I was contemplating this, the early morning news came on and brought with it reports of war, industrial strikes, murders and retaliations. I realized how far we as a human race have strayed from the concept of being 'meek'.  The world we are living in today teaches us to take a stand for our human rights.  We march the streets with placards shouting slogans against every conceivable infringement of our rights. Often these protests result in violence and riots.  In the name of our rights we break one another down, we plunder and destroy. In the name of human rights criminals, rapists and murderers have more rights than the victims of the crime.  Of course I am not against human rights and standing up for them, but I am wondering if how we go about it, is really the way we should do it?

Think again about this sentence: 

"Blessed are the meek..."

Most people understand meekness to mean weakness.  We think of somebody who is meek as a person without spunk, unable to think for himself, feeble, dull and powerless.  Yet when we look at the Bible's definition of meek we discover a totally different scenario.  The Bible translates "meekness" as "strength under control".  When a person is thus referred to as "meek', it does not imply that he is weak, but rather that he is a person who has control over his actions, his temper and his reactions.  Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit and through an attitude of meekness we testify that the Spirit of the Lord is at work within and through us.  Moses was one of the most influential people of the Bible, yet he is said to have been a meek servant of God.  He had submitted himself to the Lord's will and obeyed His decrees with patience and humility.

Being meek does not mean that we allow the world to walk all over us, or give people the right to take advantage of us.  It does not mean that we condone injustice or persecution, or are too weak to stand by our beliefs and convictions.  It means that we submit our will to the will of God.  Our actions are governed by our faith and our submission to the Spirit of God.  When we take action it is always under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

It is easy to go out into the world with fists flying, cursing and standing our ground with a show of power.  We are quick to threaten, we write long letters to the newspapers about injustices and we sue those who wrong us with ease.  It is far more difficult to control our tempers, and to seek the Lord's guidance.  Being meek and gentle go directly against what the world demands that we do.  Yet, if we act with meekness, when we exhibit strength under control, our reward will be peace as is promised in 

Psalms 37:11 - But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Go then, walk in the strength of meekness and gentleness, and conquer your adversaries by the power of the Spirit within you.