BLESSED ARE (PART 3)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5:5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Are you counted among the meek?

For most, the mention of the word as it relates to a person or group of people almost immediately carries with it a negative connotation, one labeling the subject or subjects as weak. The dictionary definition offers up the following meanings:

- Quiet

- Gentle

- Easily imposed on (in other words, a push over)

- Submissive

- Tame

- Timid

- Unresisting

Not exactly words that conjure up great strength or a posture the world would consider a position of strength.

But as we know, the Lord sees things much different from the world and expects His people to dare to be different as opposed to the masses who only seek to draw from what the world offers them, chasing after their own desires. And as we find in today’s continued look at the Beatitudes, the opening of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we find where He favors and endorses the meek, so much so that He offers them a great reward. Look again at these ten simple words:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

As we have covered in parts one and two of this series, to be blessed is to have happiness bestowed upon you and in this instance, it is the meek who are the recipients of the Lord’s joy. Apply this to all the dictionary meanings above and you can see that it isn’t the powerful or mighty that will inherit the earth but the polar opposite, the quiet, tame, and submissive. We learn even more about this category of people who are blessed by looking at other translations of this verse. Look at the following:

“God blesses those people who are humble. The earth will belong to them!” Contemporary English Version

“Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has promised!” Good News Translation

“The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth.” Holman Christian Standard Bible

“They are blessed who are humble, for the whole earth will be theirs.” New Century Version

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” New Living Translation

Can we see where humility is something that God favors?

The humble will be blessed and be happy for the whole earth will be theirs, a rich inheritance in the here and now before an even greater bequest is received when this temporary life ends and salvation begins.

So how can we get to this place where we can find ourselves blessed for our humility?

It really comes down to following the lead of Jesus, our Savior who is teaching us through His words. In Him, we find humbleness personified, perfect submission that led Him to lay His own life down willingly in order to save all mankind from their sins. It was His Father’s will for Jesus and so God’s Son complied with His wishes, even though it meant pain and suffering, humiliation and rejection, crucifixion and death. Paul summed it up this way:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:”

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:3-11

Jesus was one with His Father (John 10:30). They were equals in every way and yet Jesus did not use that to His advantage and take a pass on dying by crucifixion. Rather, He humbled Himself and in response to that, what did God do? He rewarded His Son and exalted Himself to the highest place, giving Him a name above all names.

In other words, God blessed Jesus for displaying meekness in the way He lived and the good news is that He will do the same for us when we mimic the life Jesus lived.

Jesus said it would be so…and His words are always truth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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