Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (KJV)
Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)
Galatians 5:22-23, " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message)
Meekness.
According to the dictionary, meekness is described as, "humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others, overly submissive or compliant; forbearing; yielding; pacific; calm; soft."
The word 'meek' is used 29 times in the Bible (KJV) and not once in those 29 times is meekness seen as a weak, useless quality. I know this is the common misconception. I saw a quote on Pinterest that stated, "Being meak does not mean weakness but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control." [Elder Ulisses Soares]
Being Humble Does Not Mean Having No Self Esteem
Having a humble, meek spirit does not mean that you have zero or low self-esteem. It is actually quite the opposite. As the quote above stated- having a humble spirit means you have a healthy self-worth. Meekness is knowing God designed you perfectly, but you were placed on this earth for His work.
You can look in the mirror and see beauty. He longs for you to. He wants you to see the masterpiece He created. But after you see that beauty, He wants you to look around at the world and see the hurting.
We are Called to Seek Meekness.
According to Zephaniah 2:3, "Zephaniah writes, "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."
Colossians 3:8-9, 12 states, "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds....... Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering."
1 Timothy 6:10-11 says, " For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
Over and over again, God asks us to lay aside the sins and weight of the world. He asks us to remove anger, filthy communication, lying, the love of money.... and He asks us multiple times to put on meekness, a humble spirit, mercy, godliness, faith, love, and patience.
He calls to be meek.
And He gives us a promise with that calling.
Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Psalms 22:26, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever."
Psalms 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Psalms 149:4, "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation."
Isaiah 29:19, "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."
He reiterates His promises for us over and over again in the Word of God. We are called to be meek-- the meek shall inherit the earth.
What Kind of Spirit Do We Have?
This is the question I keep asking myself as I write this blog.
What kind of spirit do I have?
I know personally, I have a judgmental, rough spirit at times. I see what I want/need from a situation, how I would act in a certain scenario... and I judge. I hold grudges. I have a hard time letting things go. I live in a world of fairness, not mercy.
So, when I read these verses today, God convicted me.
Galatians 6:1 states, "Brothers, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are spiritual should go to him and help make him right again. You should do this in a gentle way. But be careful! You might be tempted to sin, too." (ICB)
You should do this in a GENTLE way. A MEEK way.
How many times do I see someone doing something wrong and immediately judge them? It is even worse that I point a finger-- when I've probably done worse.
One thing God keeps reminding me about others is this-- we don't know what they have endured or are enduring. We have no idea. Even with our friends. We might think we know situations, but we don't truly know them in their fullness. It is unhealthy for us to judge someone-- we must come to them in mercy, forgiveness, love, compassion, and meekness.
Mother Teresa once stated, "If you judge people you have no time to love them."
and Gordon B. Hinckley wrote, "Being humble means recognizing that we are not here to see how important we can become, but to see how much of a difference we can make in the lives of others."
If we are consistently rude- consistently spiteful- consistently judgmental- consistently making harsh opinions about someone-- how can we make a GOOD difference in the lives of others?
"Be the person that makes others feel special. Be known for your kindness and your grace."
"True confidence manifests as kindness. Whereas unacknowledged insecurity becomes arrogance." [Waylon H. Lewis]
Jesus, help us to understand the greatness and beauty in being humble, meek, and kind. You have called us to a life of service. Help us to follow that with love and thankfulness. Help us to not see ourselves as weak- but to understand that there is strength in having a gentle spirit. You have not called us to be doormats- but to be doors- which when people see and pass through, will come closer to You. Help us to emit ALL of who You are! Goodness, gentleness, meekness, love, faith, peace. Thank You for all You do for us! We love You, Jesus. Amen.
Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)
Galatians 5:22-23, " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message)
Meekness.
According to the dictionary, meekness is described as, "humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others, overly submissive or compliant; forbearing; yielding; pacific; calm; soft."
The word 'meek' is used 29 times in the Bible (KJV) and not once in those 29 times is meekness seen as a weak, useless quality. I know this is the common misconception. I saw a quote on Pinterest that stated, "Being meak does not mean weakness but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control." [Elder Ulisses Soares]
Being Humble Does Not Mean Having No Self Esteem
Having a humble, meek spirit does not mean that you have zero or low self-esteem. It is actually quite the opposite. As the quote above stated- having a humble spirit means you have a healthy self-worth. Meekness is knowing God designed you perfectly, but you were placed on this earth for His work.
You can look in the mirror and see beauty. He longs for you to. He wants you to see the masterpiece He created. But after you see that beauty, He wants you to look around at the world and see the hurting.
We are Called to Seek Meekness.
According to Zephaniah 2:3, "Zephaniah writes, "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."
Colossians 3:8-9, 12 states, "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds....... Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering."
1 Timothy 6:10-11 says, " For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
Over and over again, God asks us to lay aside the sins and weight of the world. He asks us to remove anger, filthy communication, lying, the love of money.... and He asks us multiple times to put on meekness, a humble spirit, mercy, godliness, faith, love, and patience.
He calls to be meek.
And He gives us a promise with that calling.
Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Psalms 22:26, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever."
Psalms 37:11, "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Psalms 149:4, "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation."
Isaiah 29:19, "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."
He reiterates His promises for us over and over again in the Word of God. We are called to be meek-- the meek shall inherit the earth.
What Kind of Spirit Do We Have?
This is the question I keep asking myself as I write this blog.
What kind of spirit do I have?
I know personally, I have a judgmental, rough spirit at times. I see what I want/need from a situation, how I would act in a certain scenario... and I judge. I hold grudges. I have a hard time letting things go. I live in a world of fairness, not mercy.
So, when I read these verses today, God convicted me.
Galatians 6:1 states, "Brothers, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are spiritual should go to him and help make him right again. You should do this in a gentle way. But be careful! You might be tempted to sin, too." (ICB)
You should do this in a GENTLE way. A MEEK way.
How many times do I see someone doing something wrong and immediately judge them? It is even worse that I point a finger-- when I've probably done worse.
One thing God keeps reminding me about others is this-- we don't know what they have endured or are enduring. We have no idea. Even with our friends. We might think we know situations, but we don't truly know them in their fullness. It is unhealthy for us to judge someone-- we must come to them in mercy, forgiveness, love, compassion, and meekness.
Mother Teresa once stated, "If you judge people you have no time to love them."
and Gordon B. Hinckley wrote, "Being humble means recognizing that we are not here to see how important we can become, but to see how much of a difference we can make in the lives of others."
If we are consistently rude- consistently spiteful- consistently judgmental- consistently making harsh opinions about someone-- how can we make a GOOD difference in the lives of others?
"Be the person that makes others feel special. Be known for your kindness and your grace."
"True confidence manifests as kindness. Whereas unacknowledged insecurity becomes arrogance." [Waylon H. Lewis]
Jesus, help us to understand the greatness and beauty in being humble, meek, and kind. You have called us to a life of service. Help us to follow that with love and thankfulness. Help us to not see ourselves as weak- but to understand that there is strength in having a gentle spirit. You have not called us to be doormats- but to be doors- which when people see and pass through, will come closer to You. Help us to emit ALL of who You are! Goodness, gentleness, meekness, love, faith, peace. Thank You for all You do for us! We love You, Jesus. Amen.
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