The meekness and strength of jesus christian universe. A meek person is the opposite of these things, therefore, many people associate meekness with weakness. Yet jesus made a whip and drove out the moneychangers, john 2. Read restoring the virtue of meekness from christian radio ministry grace to you with john macarthur. Oh how spurgeon beautifully discusses this quality of being meek. The gentlemeek christian does not insist on having his own way. The bible teaches that there is strength and comfort in meekness. Its having gods power alive and well in you as a christian, but also having gods spirit showing you how that power is played out in your life. Its easy to see how the attributes among the fruit of the spirit overlap and relate to each other. Meditation temperance makes man master of himself by controlling the passions of concupiscence.
Meekness helps us to keep our cool and remain ourselves in the midst of adversity. Meekness is one of the most commonly misunderstood terms applied to godliness. Too often those that rely on a show of strength mistake meekness for weakness. As a christian minister, ive had my share of attacks from individuals who declare i am insane for accepting the god. We know that atheists and agnostics have been around since the beginning.
Jesus was strong, but it was strength under control. Strength under control meekness zeal in the christian life. Read strength under control meekness zeal in the christian life online, read in mobile or kindle. The usual definition of meekness in the bible is strength under control. So i think the promise that the meek shall inherit the earth is intended by the lord to give us the strength to endure in meekness when the natural inclination would be to. Meekness quotes page 1 of 2 christian quotes on meekness. Strength under control meekness zeal in the christian life also available in format docx and mobi.
When we forgive and demonstrate meekness toward people or situations that may make us angry, god promises that he will forgive us, too. I therefore, a prisoner for the lord, urge you to walk in a. Meekness at meeker strength under control vibrance. Meekness shapes the way we relate to our christian brothers and sisters. Strength under control seems like a workable definition. His strength was tempered by reverence for god and love for people. It takes tremendous strength to say yes to those questions. Posts about the power of meekness written by tomlirish. Meekness not weakness sermon by dennis lee, matthew 5. Just some experimentation with a piece by john adams. King david was an impressive example of strength and gentleness. A hundred years ago when i was in high school actually it was more like thirtyfive this guy merle kept bugging vicki, mikes girlfriend. I look to jesus whose very life was a reflection of his desire to follow the father. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth matthew 5.
You see, jesus was meek towards his heavenly father, not man, and so he prayed, not my will, but your will be done, luke 22. Let me show you one way this word is used in greek writings. Strength in meekness don johnson evangelistic ministries. All scripture references in this article are niv unless otherwise stated. Jesus was quoting from psalm 37 when he said the meek will inherit the earth, and it turns out that the whole psalm is a primer on meekness. Picture a wild stallion that has been broken and is now tamed.
Meekness is a characteristic of one who has strength and power, but that strength and power is under godly control. It has been interpreted in a variety of ways, from weakness and timidity to strength and selfcontrol. It is not just power under control, but power under gods control. President theodore roosevelt adopted as his pet proverb, speak softly and carry a big stick. Gentleness is sometimes perceived as weakness in our modern, western mindset, but gentleness actually reveals great strength and has much power to bless people. God praises moses for being the meekest man of his time numbers 12. It is displayed in one who is growing in christian maturity. As the apostle paul wrote, if god be for us, who can be against us. Meekness and gentleness imply selfcontrol, therefore, they require strength under control. For a christian, meekness is about surrendering everything to god and being completely at his disposal. The courage to be meek mike cunningham september 8, 20 concerning the characteristics of a godly christian, jerry bridges in the practice of godliness, says, i suspect that of all the character traits of godliness in this study, gentleness will be the least appealing to many male readers. The greeks used the word to refer to the taming of a wild horse. To be meek is to be under the controlling power of the holy spirit.
Meekness does not mean weakness, it refers to a person who controls his power and. With her incredible jaw and body strength, she was capable of doing severe damage, and yet she was the meekest animal i have ever met. God will not work with those who are proud and haughty zephaniah 3. Study the bible, learn about jesus christ, get christian living advice online. I have always been a little overmeek reticent, shy. This is the authorized guide for those being trained as small group leaders. One point that i made is that meekness does not equate to weakness. I invite you now for our bible study to turn with me to the fourth chapter of ephesians as we continue in our study of this tremendous epistle written by the apostle paul under the inspiration of the. And then, answering his own question, he said, yes, you are supposed to be meek. The animal hadnt lost its strength, but all of the power of that animal had been brought under control. Actually to react to every adversity by overpowering it, disallowing it, can be a weakness in itself.
Opportunities, and salvation wisdom, human importance christian conduct outsiders outside the kingdom giving, of. Not under selfcontrol, meaning from human nature and carnal nature. They are not cowardice, timidity, or a lack of confidence. Free pastors and christian leadership resources for your church ministry and congregation at. Though one of the greatest leaders in human history, he thought of himself as a servant in relationship to god, so he quietly and gently submitted to gods will. Gentleness is often quoted as being strength under control. Presented to globe church of christ on 111020 in our last lesson, i covered many aspects of the fruitful, spiritually mature believer in jesus christ.
The great value of this virtue lies in the fact that it assures. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of christ, so that whether i come and see you or am absent, i may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. Indeed, meekness has a strengthening and calming effect because you can leave the consequences of any particular situation in the hands of your master. Some bible passages that illustrate this definition. There are nine fruits placed in the life of the believer at salvation. And when it must say a critical word to a person caught in sin or error, it speaks from the deep conviction of its own fallibility and its own susceptibility to sin and its utter dependence on. The first two are rather expressive of deficiency, but here there is a something supplied. Meekness and gentleness relate very closely to love, longsuffering being patient and not shorttempered, kindness and selfcontrol. Blessed are the meek sermon by don jones, matthew 5.
Meekness is a trait that is necessary in a christian s life. Download strength under control meekness zeal in the christian life ebook for free in pdf and epub format. A man is poor in spirit that is, he feels that he lacks a thousand things that he ought to possess. However, when necessary, he is able to make the decisions that are within his responsibility. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. The world defines strong people as those who are assertive, take charge, proud, selfsufficient, selfreliant, and independent. Caner blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth matthew 5.
A prayer for meekness your daily prayer november 7. Most definitions are vague on its meaning, and many people equate it to weakness. The time attitudes towards foreigners opportunities, in life waste. Ive heard meekness defined as strength under control. Read zeal needs humility by founders ministries blog on christian blogs.
And it counts the corrective blows of a friend as precious proverbs 27. Stop and think of examples of others and from your own life of ways pride makes us blind and deaf to gods nudging and, therefore, more vulnerable to satans temptations deceptions. Meekness is an elusive virtue that few can accurately define. The qualities of meekness and gentleness stand in the bible as the proper temperament for a servant of god. There is always someone in the crowd who will disagree about the existence of god and sadly this. While he is not a hostile person, there are times when his anger can be unleashed, though always under selfcontrol, which is a power he has received from living in a personal relationship with god. Part of a large selection of christian quotes and sayings in a variety of topics by famous people, authors, theologians, pastors, preachers, teachers, and other notable christians.
To be meek means that we have a humble spirit that yields to the will of god and deals kindly with others. Meekness is strength under control, which means that meekness is an attitude of the heart. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Meekness presence of god jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.
It involves our submission to gods authority and it involves the yielding of our rights. You know a horse is well broken when the rest of the herd gets spooked by something unexpected but it stays under the control of the rider. If you really are strong you dont have to strut it. Meekness is not weakness but strength under control. A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed. However, what does the attribute of meekness truly mean. But i discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after. A meek person does not have to be right all of the time and a meek person will live a life of strength under control.
113 1353 1370 469 1048 1150 62 87 672 1376 678 132 952 737 6 314 1331 295 969 158 749 1602 976 807 696 1078 12 600 1239 1057 1463 487 566 35 706 1330