Daily Devotional 3

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

Meek?  I looked up and searched for the meaning of this word and found that it is the Greek word praus meaning gentle.  We see this word meek also being defined a person who is humbled or who has self-control.  The dictionary says meek means humbly patient.

We see this word meek used in different translations of the Bible in Numbers 12:3 (ESV) Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

We see Jesus describe himself as meek in Matthew 11:20 (KJV) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
 Other translations of the Bible of those verses we again see words such as humble and lowly.  So what does the verse mean?


As we end this Christmas time we see the perfect example of a man who was meek except in this story the man was not quite a man yet, he was a baby.  A baby who was King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, and Son of the Most High.   Yet this baby was not born in a palace.  He wasn't even born in a house.  He was born in a stable, a barn, and some even wonder if it was a cave for the animals.  He was placed in a feed trough!  He who was said to be the SAVIOR of the world!  If anyone deserved to have a grand entrance, a parade, a thousand TV shows and magazine publicizing the birth, and tons of people on pins and needles as He came into this world it was Jesus.


But God instead chose two poor people from a small poor insignificant town to be His parents.  God chose to have Him be born in the lowliest place in Bethlehem.  God chose Jesus to enter the world in a very meek way.  But why?


The Jews were expecting the person to rule the earth to be big and grand, strong and tough, loud and persistent, and brave as he lead them to fight the Romans so once again Israel would be a grand nation.  But Jesus was the complete opposite of what they were expecting. 


Because Jesus is not a king to save them from the Romans.  Rulers and kingdoms come and go. Problems, persecution, trials, and troubles they come and go.  BUT Jesus came to save ALL people from a death and Hell that would not come and go but would continue on for eternity. 


From the moment He was born God was trying to tell the world that Jesus was different.  God says through the manager, "Pay attention because He is going to live a life that is completely backwards from what you are doing.  He will live the the best life possible because He will be in constant communion with me.  He knows that I am God, the Father, and Jesus will choose to humble Himself under My rule."


Jesus chose to follow God at any cost.  Jesus chose to do whatever task God called Him to do even if that was giving up His life.  Jesus chose to place God above everything in His life by giving up His desires, His dreams and His wants.  And because Jesus chose to do that He lived a life full of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.  He experienced life to the fullness and made a way for us to experience it too.


And who are we to receive such a gift?  When we are poor in spirit, knowing we stand in judgment before a Holy God, and mourn for our deeds, we are humbled (meek) knowing that though we do not deserve it, our Great God gives us life anyways.  Because of that we surrender our lives to him.  We humble ourselves by placing God above us and over everything in our life.  Granted, He is already is but through meekness our lives reflect that knowledge and action of surrendering.


And when we are meek it says we inherit the earth. We inherit life now here on earth.  God's kingdom has come through Jesus and through humbleness we receive it.  We start to be content.  We do not go searching for more when we realize we have all we need. Or as The Message version states, "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less.  That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."


So may we together be humbled before our Great God who chose to send us the perfect example of meekness through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became 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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.