Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.New Living Translation:
Matthew 5:5
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
The above quote from Matthew is one of 8 Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. Each is a proverb-like proclamation, without narrative. (Wikipedia).
The text of Matthew runs as follows:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)
- Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. (Verse 4)
- Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)
- Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)
- Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)
- Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)
- Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)
- Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)
Isaiah 29:19
The humble will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
What does blessed mean and how does it pertain to us?
To understand more about the Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness/Meek, we need to look at Psalm 1:1-6 for more details of what blessed means. This psalm reminds us to continue to follow our Lord and practice his teachings in our daily lives.
Think of this as a gentle reminder to our own Fig tree and how to keep the fruit of our spirits healthy.
Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither- whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
But…. it’s not always easy
Reading Psalm one, it reminds me of the various personalities and behaviors of those we encounter in our daily lives. I myself mentioned this to our Lord during one of my prayer sessions.
The scenerio:
I know a few people: one is a gossip and rarely has something nice to say about another. The other person is a sinner according to the bible entries, but is a very nice person although deflects and plays victim when this person makes an error.
It can be challenging at times, because being human, the drive for acceptance can rule our actions. I do my best to stand above it all, but it’s challenging. I find myself at times being sucked into their behavior and attitudes and feel guilty later on. It’s not who I am.
What help I asked of our Lord
I asked our Lord how I can help the gossiper. Do I make waves and tell this person to stop? We’re adults after all, and picking arguments has no place at the office. How do I gently guide the person who fears admitting when they are wrong and deflects blame onto others? Who am I to judge anyway?
It’s my innate nature to want to help people, so you can imagine how I must have felt when I couldn’t.
How can I be a good Christian and grow spiritually in these situations when I find myself in these situations? I feel like an outsider because I don’t share their beliefs. The chumminess they have is not the same with me at times.
HIS response to my questions
He led me to Proverbs 24 19-20 and 23-25
19-20:
Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; for there will be no prospects for the evil man. The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
23-25:
These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgement. He who says to the wicked: “You are righteous.” Him the people will curse. Nations will abhor him. But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon him.
The action plan
I contemplated how to apply these messages based on who I am (how our Almighty Father made me.) I chose to let our Lord take action of their behaviors and don’t try to fix them. Don’t worry about not fitting in completely and be glad of who I am, and how much I’ve grown spiritually and continue to do so. Lead by quiet example and allow our Lord to work his divine love and wisdom.
It never ceases to amaze me how much he has done for me and continues to do so. Through is divine love and wisdom, things sorted out, and he made it so I have the knowledge and strength to be who I am. I’d rather be humble (meek), than express anger, judgment, and negativity. I’d rather share and show love towards my fellow man.
Have you found yourself in a similar situation?
Have you found yourself in a similar situation? What did you do? Could you have done or said things differently?
Don’t be afraid to stand out against the crowd. Be YOU as our Almighty Father created you. Show your Fruits of the Spirit and change the world one loving encounter at a time.
Spiritual Love Warrior 