Blessed are the Meek

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5

As Christians, we are made joint heirs with Jesus Christ. He will return one day, and as He has promised, “He that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am sat down with my Father in His throne.”

It makes sense that meekness, or self-control, would be a key attribute of any who would inherit the earth with Jesus.

It takes self-control to lead properly. Otherwise, we would be as the petty kings before us who cry out “off with their head” at any offense.

Instead of being as one who would “call down fire from heaven on the earth in the site of man,” those who overcome keep Jesus in mind. We keep His immense patience and self-control in mind. We remember that He tells us to bless those who curse us, pray for those who use us, and know that all suffering we endure brings us blessing.

We will inherit the earth if we continue in His love, and that is indeed a kind of overcoming, especially as iniquity abounds as He has said.

I am astounded at the level of self-control Jesus demonstrated during His time on this earth.

He felt all things as we do, physically and emotionally. Yet, He was without sin.

Can you imagine what that would be like? Can you imagine how He suffered? He lived with the mind of God and the body of a man. As we grow in the things of His Spirit, we should be able to relate to some degree, and we should grow in gratitude for His patience with us and in so doing, we learn patience too.

He lived among us cruel, backstabbing, lying, self-serving, faithless, and foolish people. He endured ridicule and hatred. He was not regarded by His own who He loved, and He was eventually killed just for being Himself: for testifying to the truth, as the Father had sent Him to do.

The world could not take it. They could not take seeing God in a man, because their own sin became exposed. They could not take their authority being challenged. They could not take the idea that God was not pleased with them. They feared Rome, in who they trusted instead of God.

Yet, Jesus endured it. He who could have called down legions of angels to save Him, and they would have come if His kingdom had been of this world.

One day His kingdom will be in this world, and once again, the world will hate it. Perhaps at this time, legions of angels will indeed come down, and perhaps a few self-controlled Christians will be granted the ability to resist knowing that these are not angels of the Lord, but ministers of Satan. They will resist, but not with the swords of man and their petty kings or with lying signs and wonders of spirits of devils—but with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God!

The meek will inherit this: those who know how to use the sword of God properly, or are willing to lay down their self-interests so they can learn how.

How many misuse the written word of God as a tool to harm people wrongfully? How many misuse the written word of God as a tool to further their ideas and agendas instead of furthering the Kingdom of God? How many misuse the written word of God to justify evil doing? How many use the written word of God to lead people into captivity and death?

How many neglects the blood shed by Jesus who Is the Word of God, either by neglecting mercy or by neglecting the call to righteousness that is given by grace through faith tangibly and in this present world?

I am thankful that any good thing we get, including self-control, fear of the Lord, and reverence for His word, comes from God. Though we fall short, we can seek His mercy and favor to overcome.

I am thankful that in the final days, those who He gives power will be faithful to it, and those who misused His word and defiled His name will be astounded, and Lord willing, motivated to repentance for how they misused the word of God and Jesus who is the Word of God.

I am thankful for the amazing example of self-control that Jesus showed. He calls Himself “meek and lowly” as one who gives “rest to our soul.”

Our soul gets tired, and the tiredness of the flesh pales in comparison to tiredness of the soul. Jesus knows. He comforts and He strengthens. He brings us into His rest—a rest that the world cannot know nor duplicate with vain keepings of the Sabbath that completely miss what His rest is really about.

I am thankful to know that we can call out to Jesus. I am thankful to know that our emotions are not sin. His agony on the cross shows us this. His declaration, “how long must I suffer you” also shows this. Yet, He endured.

He thanked the Father always. He trusted the Father always. He now sits at the right hand of the throne of God because He endured to the end, and through Him we can too.