As I admired the beautifully intricate stained glass windows at the Church of the Beatitudes in Nazareth, Israel, I overheard a pastor reading from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, saying that the meek will inherit the earth. Many people view meekness or humility as a liability rather than an asset. Powerful and influential leaders and celebrities dominate the headlines, and magazines advertise self-exaltation and arrogance. We have become a society where we post social media images saying, “Look at me.” In the Bible, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us that the meek will inherit the earth. Those who are gentle, humble, and kind will ultimately prevail and be rewarded. This blueprint for righteous living encourages us to depend upon God and his strength instead of ourselves.
Jesus’s example of meekness is portrayed when he did not answer the high priest's question about being the Messiah (Mark 14:61) and when he ultimately gave himself in sacrifice for others. We must have the same attitude as Jesus who used his power to serve others rather than seeking to dominate. In “A Discourse on Meekness and Quietness of Spirit.” Matthew Henry said, “Meekness is calm confidence, settled assurance, and rest of the soul; the tranquil stillness of a soul is at rest in Christ. It is the place of peace. Meekness springs from a heart of humility, radiating the fragrance of Christ.” Others will see Jesus in us when we respond with kindness instead of anger and when we are gentle and compassionate in spirit instead of self-absorbed and hurried.
Today, ask the Lord for a greater amount of tenderness and meekness for those around you and to enable you to treat others the way Christ treats us. As we walk in meekness, we will tame our tempers, bring order out of chaos, be the radiating fragrance of Jesus Christ, and inherit the kingdom of God.
Lord, thank you for teaching us that a gentle and quiet spirit honors you. Teach us to be meek and help us to respond in love and kindness to others. Thank you for helping me to think the best of others and walk a life worthy of you so that others will see you in me; in Jesus’s name, Amen.
Throughout this day, listen to Chris Tomlin’s: Here I Am to Worship
Photo Credit: Morteza Akhnia