A Meek Me could leave an everlasting mark. Mark 12:41-42 “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” Jesus saw a gift worthy of comment. A valued gift comes out of the treasury God sees in the humblest of hearts. 

For those who yet desire a larger level of influence, this post challenges us to become as meek as Jesus. The word of God said that Moses was the meekest man who ever lived. The man who parted the Red Sea was far from weak— he was obedient. Jesus reminded all who have ears to hear “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” The great question is do you know what meekness is?  Why did God the Father not spare us all from feeling weak, rejected, mocked, or tortured?  Perhaps we question God’s ways when we are NOT ready to hear the truth. The Prophet Isaiah said that the meek will rejoice in the Lord. Paul teaches that meekness is a fruit of the Spirit of God. The meekest man who ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ Himself.  Our Lord tells us “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly (meek) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matt 11:27-29 NKJV  How do you define meekness?

The brother of Jesus has much to say about the meekness that comes from wisdom. “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and the overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” James 1:21 The truly wise are meek. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13 As we age we are humbled by how much our parents actually knew as opposed to what wisdom we thought we possessed.  Wisdom begins when we fear the Lord, when we respect His word and His warnings.  Picture a double yoke that stretches across the backs of two oxen. The oxen have their heads lowered and the yoke keeps them walking in step to accomplish a task. Now picture the Lord Jesus with His head lowered on the opposite side of a yoke resting on your neck. Jesus was humble and meek as He walked the earth to do the will of the Father. Meek is NOT mild, it does NOT parade power or position. Think about the person who has most influenced you? Were they humble or powerful? Both of my adopted spiritual mentors live, walk and speak as humble servants. Both are receptive to being shown His way and walking in it. No other woman in scripture exemplifies meekness more than Mary, the mother of Jesus. After encountering an angel Mary prayed “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” With great humility Mary prays “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant.”  Luke 1:47-48

Many Christians still suffer physically, spiritually and financially. The world offers us countless voices of instruction. There are great books written about the importance of walking by faith not sight, praying in the Spirit, and living in the Power of God.  What burdens Christians today is the difficulty of praying through the unseen battle for our persecuted faith in God. Our Father asks us to examine our hearts so that the Holy Spirit can place His mighty finger on anthing that keeps us in unbelief. As a woman of God, humbly I confess that my unbelief tends to grow when I fail to remember my Saviors sacrifice, and all the benefits of my salvation. Instead of striving to protect my honor, a meek me would recount my blessings. Lest I forget all that Jesus accomplished for me, I hear Him whisper “Remember Me”. It hurts when I think of what He endured so that I may live with Him forever. His privacy was invaded by throngs of desperate people, His innocence was crucified — Jesus meekly remained quiet and surrendered any right to a fair trial. No cruel abuse caused Jesus to change His commitment to save me. The love for His Father kept Him gladly obedient, even to a tortutous death on a mocked cross. Jesus lowered His head under the yoke of His Father and obediently suffered well, without complaint. He told us “learn from Me” — if I am teachable, I humble myself and seek to be shown, to learn, to be corrected. Ask the Holy Spirit “show me how to apply holy scripture to my life?” A teachable spirit questions, but does not doubt the Master’s answer. Meekness does not mean weakness. Almighty God sent Jesus to be our Redeemer, Teacher, Guide and holy Example.  Our natural disposition is to doubt, be selfish and miss the mark of pleasing God. As babies we began operating as master manipulators to get whatever we wanted.  Our heart is deceitful, and we naturally hide our true motivations, even from ourselves. When the Spirit of God points out a way for us to go —do we eagerly respond like a handmaiden of the Lord?  Our old nature wants to control, or rebel —so we consciously choose to discipline our urges. We hold our tongue, and we submit to our higher calling — to be His Ambassador, and represent Jesus with humility.

“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You…Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:2-5 Are we a teachable soldier in the army of God? The key to pleasing God is to use our natural talents to uplift the needy. Find a need and do what little thing you can (even a smile or a silent pat on the back) to fill a desperate need. Add your gift to what the Body of Christ is doing – work in a soup kitchen, visit a widow, hug an orphan, be kind to the lost. Again none of us is righteous, not even one can ever be perfect, but we can do our best. We were not born meek — it is an attribute of God — that He develops in us over time. Those everyday, ordinary, irritating, exasperating, humiliating experiences that cut across our selfish ways, are exactly where we learn meekness. When inconvenienced — how does my flesh respond? Meekness springs up from the Spirit in me when I remain under the yoke of God.

Being meek is to maintain a gentle, quiet, humble, loving spirit. The perfect model of meekness will always be Jesus. Though entirely strong, mighty and able to perform supernatural miracles, Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him, and He washed his feet.  When we struggle to forgive those who have hurt our feelings, think of when Jesus forgave Peter for denying Him 3 times. Jesus looks upon us with a force of Light that is irresistible. Beyond any earthly power, His grace is lavished upon our undeserving souls. A meek soul does not repay evil with evil. When the expert in the law questioned Jesus “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan. Jesus basically told us to look to help the needy, the outcast, those that society neglects. His example teaches us to humble ourselves, to issue kindness and loving mercies. How do we reflect the King of mercy? We surrender our will to the Father and we choose to crucify our way, to walk and speak words that bless and do not condemn. That guy with a tatoo and a synical scowl, God knows his pain and God cares for him —do you judge him by his appearance, or do you say hello, do you need help? When we allow His love to pierce our hard crusted heart, that demands fair treatment, we weep and ask the Holy Spirit to invade us —the moment aggression comes towards us, or the minute we receive a nasty email. We lift our eyes to the example of Jesus, and ask “how would He respond?”  How did Jesus respond to His tormentors? He said “learn of Me” by His meek example. Jesus was entirely detached from self-assertion. The world instructs us to assert ourselves, to be aggressive, to stand up for our rights, to love ourselves enough to insist on fairness. We are taught to be proud of ourselves and congratulate ourselves for what we accomplish. In a poem entitled “The curse of self-esteem” Goethe wrote “I don’t know myself only God knows who I am. By God’s unrelenting mercy, He delivered me from ever fully knowing the wretchedness of my true being.”  Oh Lord, Thy example of meekness convicts me to humble myself for Thy glory.  

“Who being the brightness of His glory, being the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” – Hebrews 1:3 KJV — To those who mocked Him, and who pulled out His whiskers and smashed a crown of thorns upon His holy head— Jesus says “Come to Me and I will give you rest, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, meek and lowly.” May our Father continue to teach us what meekness is NOT…. for Jesus sake. AMEN  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord – Psalms 91:5-6 “You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,  nor the plague that destroys at midday.” AMEN

If you are feeling weak, lonely, misunderstood, or rejected, take in this lightning bolt of hope! “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on Me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:1-7

There is an everlasting hope for all those people who were NOT raised in a Christian home. For anyone who did NOT have a parent or grandparent who prayed regularly for them, our Father in heaven assures us that once we accept Jesus as our Savior, He intercedes for us.  Many women turn to their cell phones and quickly reach out to share their tales of woe, their problems over lunch with a trusted friend. Our perfect best Friend says “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.” Revelation 3:20 Our Father created us for relationship with Him and He delights to hear our voice when we speak to Him about our ideas, difficulties, and our fears. Whenever we experience pain, sadness or immense emotion, our Father is ever available to gladly listen. Be not deceived. Today we MUST NOT trust what we see, or hear in the news. Every proclaimed priest, pastor, or prophet is to be tested by our study of the Scriptures. We trust His Word to guide us into all truth. Amen

Psalm 37:8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” As an angry, confused youth I frequently directed my temper towards others. With a sarcastic tongue I wounded my mom and built up strongholds. When I began to read God’s Word the Holy Spirit convicted me about my quick temper. My Father gave me a CHOICE to refrain and turn away from anger. People do not make people angry, we choose to be angry, or not. Anger is an emotion we share with Jesus. He was furious as He turned over tables in His Father’s house. “Turn away from anger” Refrain from wrath as it only causes misery as it destroys relationships. Hold thy tongue and withdraw critical judgement. God’s anger is holy, justified and perfectly righteous. Wrath is God’s alone. Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” The things that bring lasting peace – are NOT the things we strive to achieve apart from God.” God’s Word applied heals. Obedience has rewards. Remember to Reach Out Our Teacher is the Holy Spirit, invite Him to impart understanding as you read the Word of God.

Matthew 11:25-30  Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. —- Take My yoke upon you and LEARN FROM ME, for I am gentle and humble (meek) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” —Rest comes into our minds, our souls —when we stop trying to figure it all out. When we obey and choose to think on whatever is lovely, noble and true, our soul, our unseen mind rests in His peace.  Jesus suffered, and He told us we will suffer too, but only for a moment compared to eternity in His glory. AMEN