“We are not called to apply the Beatitudes literally, but to allow the life of God to invade us by regeneration, and then to soak our minds in the teaching of Jesus Christ. This teaching will slip down in the subconscious mind, and at some point, circumstances will arise in which one of Jesus Christ’ statements emerges. Instantly, we must decide whether we will accept the tremendous spiritual revolution that will be produced if we obey this precept of His. If we do obey, our actual life will become different - we will find we have the power to obey if we choose. That is the way the Holy Spirit works in the heart of a disciple. To begin with, the teaching of Jesus Christ comes with astonishing discomfort, because it is out of all proportions to our natural way of looking at things. But Jesus puts in a new sense of proportion, and slowly we form our way of life on the line of His precepts.” —Oswald Sanders, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5
“In the romance literature of the Middle Ages, its incarnation was the knight in shining armor who pledges his gallantry in service to his lady. For her sake he was brave and daring, but he was also gentle and sensitive. He loved life. His devotion to his mission tamed his wilder impulses.” —LeRoy Lawson, Blessed Are We
• Meekness is not
“O the bliss of the man who has every instinct, and impulse, and passion under control because he himself is God-controlled.” —William Barclay, NT Theologian
• Meekness is not confidence in
“Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.”
Numbers 12:3
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1 Peter 5:5,6
“Humility is probably the most unpopular virtue demanded by the gospel, yet until man is humble, no good thing can come from him no matter what he may do. The Lord can do such great things for us if we are humble and so very little for us when we are proud.” —Unknown
Meekness allows us to be…
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Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:29
“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts…”
James 1:21
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1 Do not fret (worry) because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.
Psalm 37:1-8,10,11
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When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:23
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
Acts 5:29
“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto.” —A.W. Tozer