BLESSED are the meek
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5 NIV).
My dictionary defines "meek" as "showing patience and humility, gentle...[e]asily imposed on, submissive...."
Oh, my! When I look in my mirror, I do not see those qualities! In fact, I see the opposite most of the time—all of my flaws. So, does that mean that I won't "inherity the earth"?
Ephesians 1:13 says that if we believe in Christ, we have a "deposit guaranteeing our inheritance"—the Holy Spirit, Christ in us.
Galatians 3:29 promises, "If you belong to Christ, then you are...heirs according to the promise."
Galatians 5:17 lists the gifts of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlness, and self-control."
I noticed a couple of qualities of "meekness" in that list of gifts—"patience" and "gentleness."
So, even though I may not "show" meekness in my countenance all of the time, I can be assured that I do possess all that it takes to inherit His Kingdom here on earth—the Holy Spirit of Christ in me.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).
A writing prompt for you:
1. How would you define "meek"?
2. What does "inherit the earth" mean to you?
3. What did you think of when you read my "spin" on this passage?
Keep writing!
Karen
My dictionary defines "meek" as "showing patience and humility, gentle...[e]asily imposed on, submissive...."
Oh, my! When I look in my mirror, I do not see those qualities! In fact, I see the opposite most of the time—all of my flaws. So, does that mean that I won't "inherity the earth"?
Ephesians 1:13 says that if we believe in Christ, we have a "deposit guaranteeing our inheritance"—the Holy Spirit, Christ in us.
Galatians 3:29 promises, "If you belong to Christ, then you are...heirs according to the promise."
Galatians 5:17 lists the gifts of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlness, and self-control."
I noticed a couple of qualities of "meekness" in that list of gifts—"patience" and "gentleness."
So, even though I may not "show" meekness in my countenance all of the time, I can be assured that I do possess all that it takes to inherit His Kingdom here on earth—the Holy Spirit of Christ in me.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).
A writing prompt for you:
1. How would you define "meek"?
2. What does "inherit the earth" mean to you?
3. What did you think of when you read my "spin" on this passage?
Keep writing!
Karen
Intriguing question, "what does it mean to inherit the earth?" My first thought was "Dust to dust". My second thought was "the earth will inherit my body when I die". Neither is correct. I believe "inheriting the earth" means our inheritance is spiritual (Acts 20:32); we are heirs in the kingdom of Christ (Ephesians 5:5), and citizenship in that kingdom is available now on this earth ( John 3:3-5; Colossians 1:13). But as always, I might be wrong. I would like to see what you have to say about what the "pure of heart" passage means when it says that they "shall see God"! Good article on meekness
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Tuck, thanks for your honest answer and additional scripture references on this subject. I do intend to deal with the passage in Matthew 5:8 about being pure in heart soon. I'm kind of going down my list of Beatitudes right now on this blog. Next, I'll focus on Matthew 6:6--about hungering and thirsting for righteousness and being "filled." I look forward to your insights on those topics, too.
Thanks again, kj
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