Blessed are the meek … & responding in the opposite spirit

In the Sermon on the Mount, one of the 8 blesseds is
⁵ Blessed are the meek,    gentle ^(NASB)
For they shall inherit the earth.  ^{Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)}

What does meekness mean?

Does meekness mean weakness in our highly competitive,
sometimes ‘win at any cost’, ‘win-lose’  world?
When the environment is challenging, the stakes are high
…. and we’re in the firing line,
what can we do?

Is it worth it?

In this post we’re cover:
— Definition of meekness
— Jesus meekness
— Meekness in the firing line
— Responding in the Opposite Spirit
— Meekness – a Biblical perspective
— Meekness – in practice
— … inherit the earth?

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Definition of meekness

Meekness/Gentleness
— a notable characteristic of Jesus
… means to approach others (including one’s enemies)
in a humble and caring spirit,
not using force to get one’s way. – William Mounce ¹

— strength under control – Charles Swindoll ²

— gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest.
It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation.
The gentle person is not occupied with self at all.
This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23).
In the Old Testament, the meek are those wholly relying on God
rather than their own strength to defend against injustice – Blueletter Bible

The prophet Zephaniah wrote
about the character of the meek,

Zephaniah 3:11-13 (HCSB)
¹¹  On that day
you will   not   be put to shame
because of everything you have done
in rebelling against Me.      (thereby, receiving God’s mercy and grace)

For then I will remove
your   proud, arrogant    people from among you,

and you will never again be   haughty
on My holy mountain.

¹² I will leave        (left behind)
a meek and humble people among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.
trust in the name of the Lord.  ^(NKJV)

¹³ The remnant of Israel will
no longer

do wrong
or tell lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found
in their mouths.      they won’t trick people with their words  ^(NCV)

But they will pasture and lie down,
they will graze peacefully like sheep and lie down  ^(NET)
with nothing to make them afraid.

Meekness/Gentleness
— trust in the name of the Lord,
— dwelling with the Lord, on God’s holy mountain, receiving God’s mercy & grace.

— doing right, doing good,
— truthful, honest, integrity, trustworthy,  living in reverence before the Lord
— peaceful,  not  afraid
—  not haughty, not  proud, arrogant.

haughty  —  blatantly and disdainfully proud :
having or showing
an  attitude of   superiority and    contempt 
for people or things perceived to be inferior  ^{(Merriam-Webster)}

Furthermore, Zephaniah 3:11-13
is in agreement with the context of Matthew 5:5,
how Jesus described the character of the blessed children of God,

Matthew 4:23 – 5:9 (NKJV)
^2:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom  (of heaven),
and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Galilee of the Gentiles ^{(Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 4:15)},
far north from the religious center Jerusalem

²⁴ Then His fame went throughout all Syria;
and they brought to Him all sick people
who were afflicted
with various diseases and torments,
and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics;
and He healed them. 

As a result
of Jesus’ teaching and healing
i.e. the  gospel of the kingdom

²⁵ Great multitudes followed Him 

Everyday people in Galilee, Syria
heard Jesus’ word
and personally experienced Jesus,
they voluntarily followed Jesus.

—from Galilee,
and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

^5:1 And seeing the multitudes,   

The multitude coming to Jesus
that Jesus was speaking to,
included those who want to do right,
the poor in spirit and those who mourn,
with a multitude of personal needs (various diseases, torments),
who were seeking comfort,
seeking the reality of the kingdom of heaven
in their everyday lives lives

He went up on a mountain,
and when He was seated His disciples followers ^(NCV) came to Him.
(this happened before Jesus selected the twelve)

² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,    spiritually helpless  ^(GW)
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,       those who are sad ^(NIRV)
For they shall be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek,    gentle ^(NASB)
For they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
who want to do right   more than anything else  ^(ERV)
For they shall be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness,  for doing what is right ^(ERV)   doing good ^(ICB)
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The meek  seek God, seek God’s righteousness  &  God’s kingdom in their lives,
and  receive God’s grace, mercy,  God’s presence and God’s kingdom.
The meek  are   merciful,   pure in heart,   peacemakers,
the meek  want to do right   more than anything else,
and are willing to face the consequences of living for the Lord,  trusting the Lord,
living in reverence before the Lord.

By humbly  coming to the Lord God,
meekly listening to God,
receiving from God, learning & acting on God’s word,
our hearts, actions are changed,
and we  see God  in our everyday lives.

Sadly, at times,  we are
too smart   to be meek,  spiritually helpless,
too learned,  opinionated,  insistent,   to be meek,  listen to God,  listen to others,  learn from others who are different
too strong, wanting to   be always right    to be meek,  to receive from God, learn from God’s word,  instead of wanting to do right   more than anything else
too self-confident   to be meek,  to humbly   pray,   seek the Lord,
too self-righteous   to be meek, pure in heart, merciful, forgiving, loving
too judgmental   to be meek, merciful, forgiving, loving
too divisive, haughty    to be meek,  pure merciful peacemakers,
too proud   to be meek,  pure merciful peacemakers,  reconcile, apologise, say sorry
too high   to be meek,  to make peace,  forgive,  turn the other cheek, love again

too proud, arrogant, haughty
trusting one’s human abilities, intellect, training, qualifications, achievements, etc;
instead of  being
a meek and humble people,  
trusting the Lord  ^{(Zephaniah 3:12),}
walking alongside others,
serving others in need,  like Jesus did.

Jesus, James and Peter
quoted Proverbs 3:34
in the New Testament (Mt 23:12; Jas 4:6; 1Pe 5:5)
with regards to our attitudes and behavior towards God & others.
i.e. God is opposed to the proud,
but
gives grace to the humble
shows favor to the humble

The qualities meekness, humility
are expressed in agapē love
⁴ Love (agapē)  is patient,
love (agapē)  is kind.

It does not envy,
it   does not boast,
it is    not proud.
⁵ It does   not dishonor others,
it is   not self-seeking,
it is   not easily angered,  it keeps no record of wrongs.  ^{1 Corinthians 13:4, 5 (NIV)}

Meek,  faithful, loving, patiently kind
humble  doers  of God’s word  ^{(James 1:22)} ,
servant-hearted followers of Jesus.

Honestly, meekness, being meek,
doesn’t come easily in our human nature,
we much rather use power, might, strength,
the sheer force of our personality, determination
to get our way, get what we want,
get even,   get ahead,
sometimes, sadly,
under the appearance of “God said”, “God told me”, “serving God”.

Jesus’ be-attitudes deal with our hearts,
our spontaneous actions, reactions, decisions in everyday life,
living and working with others;
A lifestyle, a way of life,  tangible fruit,
as one spends time with Jesus,   our Influencer,
following Jesus’ example,
living & walking in the Holy Spirit.

Lord Jesus, please help us,
to surrender, submit ourselves to You,  trust You,
help us to be more like You,   in our daily lives.

⁶ … ‘Not  by might   nor   by power,
not   by force   nor   by strength ^(NLT)

but  by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.  ^{Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)}

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Jesus Meekness 

In today’s leadership bestsellers and media heroes,
winning and being in control is highly prized.
Others serve on the ground, get their hands dirty,
… while leaders strategically plan, direct, delegate, motivate,
and lead from the top,  give eloquent speeches, media releases.

Its seldom meekness/gentleness and humility
are esteemed, highlighted
as desirable leadership traits …

Jesus says,
“ Take my yoke upon you,
and ; for
I am meek and lowly in heart
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
(Matthew 11:29 ASV)

i.e. coming down from a position of strength, authority, eminence
… and taking the position of an unimportant servant,
serving others faithfully, quietly, .
.. helping others be more successful
… supporting others to win, instead of outdoing one another (Philippians 2:5-11).
(undercover boss)

Jesus is both the Lion of Judah, and the Lamb of God,
the leader who gave up His life for everyone.

Jesus demonstrated His teaching with His life example;
meekness in the line of fire.
Learning from Peter’s eye-witness experience, 

^2:21 … Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example
for you to follow in His steps, 

^2:23 and while being reviled,
He (Jesus) did not revile in return;

while suffering,
He uttered no threats,

but kept
entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. ^{1 Peter 2:21, 23 (ESV)}

Meekness in the line of fire,
responding in the opposite spirit,
keep trusting God who judges righteously.

Instead of reviling, threatening back,
follow Jesus example,

 ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.  ^{Romans 12:21 (ESV)}

If, however, one overcomes evil
with evil,
then one becomes evil.

The meek forgive, turn the other cheek,
¹¹ so that we may not be exploited by Satan
(for we are not ignorant of his schemes).  ^{2 Corinthians 2:11 (NET)}

Meekness — responding in the opposite Spirit,  forgiving,
keep trusting God  who judges righteously,
overcome evil with good.

Following Jesus marketplace example,
Paul served the Lord, humbly serving others,
¹² We work wearily with our own hands
to earn our living.    (tentmaking)

We bless those
who curse us.

We are patient
with those who abuse us. 

¹³ We appeal gently
when evil things are said about us. … ^{1 Corinthians 4:12,13 (NLT)}

Meekness in the line of fire,

¹  … I, Paul, myself am pleading
with you  by the the meekness and gentleness of Christ … ^{2 Corinthians 10:1 (NKJV)}
… gentleness and kindness of Christ … ^(NLT) 

For Jesus, no ministry or work was too insignificant
including years spent as an unknown  carpenter,
and physically washing His disciples feet.
when none of the disciples aspired for this lowly servant task.

Jesus invites us to   learn of Him,
follow His life example.

At the last supper,
the disciples were contemplating on their self-importance
… ‘who is the greatest?‘    (Luke 23, John 13)
A case of everyone wanting to lead at the top,
no one willing to serve,
rolling up one’s sleeves and getting one’s hands dirty

As they waited … and waited …

Jesus laid aside everything,
took the role of the youngest, the least,
the least servant,
and graciously served everyone;
an unforgettable quiet example etched in the disciples’ memory,
exposing what’s in their hearts and our hearts.

Jesus led by His living example.

³ Jesus knew
that the Father had put all things under his power,
and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

⁴ so he got up from the meal,
took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin  and

began to wash his disciples’ feet,
drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  ^{John 13:3-5 (NIV)}

Are we status conscious?
Is our own identity confidently wrapped around what we do,
what titles we have,
which choice seat we sit,
what qualifications/accolades we’ve earned,
… or who we are in Christ?

At the last supper,
^22:25 Jesus said to them, 
“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them;
and those who exercise authority over them
call themselves Benefactors.

^22:25 …”Kings like to throw their weight around
and people in authority
like to give themselves fancy titles.. ^(MSG)

^22:26 But you are not to be like that.
It’s not going to be that way with you. ^(MSG)

Instead, the greatest among you
should be like the youngest,

and the one who rules
like the one who serves.

^22:27  … I am among you as one who serves … ”  ^{Luke22:25-27 (NIV)}

^13:14 Now that I,
your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet,

you also should wash one another’s feet.

^13:15 I have set you an example that

you should do as I have done for you.

^13:16 Very truly I tell you,
no servant is greater than his master,
nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

^13:17 Now that you know these things,

you will be blessed if you  do  them.  ^{John13:14-17(NIV)}

Jesus defined leadership through His life,
through everyday acts of kind service to others,
through His life example for others to follow,
… the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many. ^{Matthew 20:28 (NIV)}

In Acts, the ministries of Stephen and Philip
began when they ‘wait on tables‘, i.e. serving the daily food distribution (Acts 6)

Jesus ministered to the high and mighty,
ate with tax-collectors and drunkards
and patiently ministered to adulterers.
He did not ignore anyone
or felt they were too lowly or sinful for Him to minister to.

While writing this post, somehow,
had a chance meeting with a Chinese pastor with a shepherd’s heart of a sizeable church.
I’ve not seen him for a while,
however, as something else was on my mind, I was not able to stop by to chat.

Later in the day,
wrote an appreciation note for his kindness
and time in ministering to 2 of my friends, and shared an update.
Although one of my friends is not part of his church,
he went the extra mile to help him,
as a result, they regularly pray for this pastor.

Despite leadership challenges within the church,
this pastor faithfully continues to do good,
giving his time to personally minister, humbly serve and bless others,
including many a late nights;
wisely focusing on ministry in word and deed;
not a tinge of offense over the challenges he faced.

Received a prompt reply from him.
His gracious note is warm and inspiring,

“… It was a privilege to be able to help various people in some ways.
There’s indeed a lot of struggles in ministry,
but there’s a lot of rewards too.
The Lord is good and faithful.”

A portrait of meekness in leadership,
a glimpse of Jesus our good shepherd.

By the way, this pastor’s response is exemplary in another way
— he replied promptly, thoughtfully.
Its not often one receives a prompt, thoughtful reply from busy leaders,
especially on his rest day,
and to someone who is not part of his congregation.

…  sadly sometimes, … one receives just silence.

Little touches do matter to “little people.”
… and they will love you even more for it.

---

Like Jesus’ example at the passover dinner, ….
servant-hearted brethren
are quite easy to spot at a fellowship dinner,
eg.  voluntarily coming early to assist in whatever way with a smile,
quietly staying back late to clean up, clear up, throw away the rubbish,
assisting the elderly,
attentively serving others,
caring, listening,  hospitable with a smile.

¹⁰ Show family affection
to one another with brotherly love.

Outdo one another
in showing honor.  ^{Romans 12:10 (HCSB)}

honor one another above yourselves  ^(NIV)
delight  in honoring each other ^(NLT)

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^“26 … the greatest among you
should be like the youngest,
and the one who rules like the one who serves.
²⁷  … I am among you as one who serves … ”  ^{Luke22:26,27 (NIV)}

A strong team in any endeavor (or ministry) is made up of people with different strengths willing to humbly collaborate & cooperate together to multiply & synthesize their collective strengths,
meekly support & respectfully serve one another towards a shared outcome,
willing to lay aside ‘who gets the credit‘ for the greater good;
focused on the ultimate shared outcome and the benefits to the customer/beneficiary,
while laying aside each individual’s personal vision, methodology/process, perceived superiority/importance, pride and subjective preferences, qualifications,
objectively choosing instead to support one another,
for the greater good,
and win together as a team.

Jesus taught and demonstrated,
¹⁴ …. you also should wash one another’s feet  ..
¹⁷ … you will be blessed if you do them.  ^{John13:14,17(NIV)}

Paul wrote,
¹⁰  Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.  ^{Romans 12:10 (NIV)}

Philippians 2:3,4 (NIV, MSG)
² then make my joy complete
by being like-minded, having the same love, |
being one in spirit and of one mind.
³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility
value others above yourselves,
⁴ not looking to your own interests
but each of you to the interests of the others.

Agree with each other, love each other, be deep
-spirited friends.
Don’t push your way to the front;
don’t sweet-talk your way to the top.

Put yourself aside,
and help others get ahead.
Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage.
Forget yourselves long enough
to lend a helping hand.

---

Meekness in the firing line

In the gospels, when Jesus was provoked/challenged
by the many religious leaders who tried to ensnare Him,
Jesus answered wisely, graciously, succinctly
firmly staking His ground, without compromising His principles and values,
replying with clear, rational, logic,
in a civil and respectful way  … exposing their fallacy.

Let’s look at one example from Jesus,

John 8:1-11 (NASB)
² Early in the morning Jesus came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. ³ The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, ⁴ they said to Him,

“Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
⁵ Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women;
what then do You say?”

⁶ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. ⁷ But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them,

“He who is without sin among you,
let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

⁸ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. ¹⁰ Straightening up, Jesus said to her,

“Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”

¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said,
“I do not condemn you, either.
Go. From now on sin no more.”

He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Note the tone and manner in which Jesus spoke to the religious leaders,
knowing their intentions.

While they accused the woman, … Jesus  did not accuse them.
While they were confrontational, … Jesus did not confront them of their sin.
While they were condemning the woman, … Jesus did not condemn them and the woman;  fair & just to everyone, the accusers and the accused.
While they were ready to exercise judgment … it was not the time for Jesus to execute His final judgment.

On that morning, there was only One who was truly without sin,
and He did not sin in this confrontation.

Jesus was gracious and respectful to the religious leaders.
He was firm on where He stood, … without adding fuel to the flame.

In one compact sentence … He sentenced their intentions.

A true example of meekness under fire,
and responding in the opposite spirit.

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

His measured response, quenched the misguided insistent challenge from the religious leaders.
And in the silence that followed,
… they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones,
and He was left alone, and the woman
He silence silenced them.

Some other examples of His silencing one-liners:

“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied,
“if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Now Jesus stood before the governor.
And the governor asked Him, saying,
“Are You the King of the Jews?
Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”

Matthew 21:23-27 (NKJV)
²³ …  the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him
as He was teaching, and said,
“By what authority
are You doing these things?
And who gave You this authority?”
²⁴ But Jesus answered and said to them,  …
²⁵ The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?”

And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
“If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus and said,
“We do not know.”
And He said to them,
“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Towards the religious leaders,
Jesus was fortright, assertive and uncompromising.

Matthew 21:12-14 (NIV)
¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out
all who were buying and selling there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the benches of those selling doves.

¹³ “It is written,” he said to them,
“‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’
but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple,
and he healed them.

At the temple, Jesus physically confronted the profiteering religious merchants,
irreverent money changers with His authority (Matt 12:12-13)
and single-handedly drove them out,
at the same time
he tenderly healed  the blind and the lame who came to him in the temple with compassion (Matt 12:14).
A perfect balance of strength and meekness,
just and merciful.
(btw, years of physical carpentry work had built his muscular physique and stature to overturn tables and drive out the den of robbers)

With regards to the money changers and religious merchants,
these are people of Israel who know the covenant and law of God,
therefore, they should know better  what not to do in the temple.

Just before Jesus entered the temple,
there’s one little detail in Luke’s account

Luke 19:41 (NIV)
 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city,
he wept over it

Jesus  wept  and  interceded for the city,
before     Jesus confronted the religious den of robbers.

When in the firing line,
its worth for us to keep in mind:

John 18:36 (NKJV)
Jesus answered,
“My kingdom is not of this world.

If My kingdom were of this world,
My servants would fight,
so that I should not be delivered to the Jews;
but now My kingdom is not from here. 

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

1 Corinthians 3:10 (NIV, MSG)
For though we live in the world,
we do not wage war as the world does.

The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there!
The world doesn’t fight fair.
But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will.

Also, as we walk with Him,
there’re times and seasons in the plans of the Lord,
He is in control.

Earlier, in Jesus’ ministry,

²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
²⁹ They got up, drove Jesus out of the town,
and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built,
in order to throw him off the cliff.
³⁰ But Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
(Luke 4:28-30 NIV)

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him,
but no one laid a hand on him, because
his hour had not yet come.
(John 7:30)

Much later,

 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
‘The Teacher says:
My appointed time is near. …
(Matthew 26:18 NIV)

On the cross, Jesus said

“Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they do.”
(Luke 23:34 NKJV)

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,
“It is finished!”
And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
John 19:30 (NKJV)

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Responding in the Opposite Spirit

Loren Cunningham:

Meekness is the character trait of a strong person
who is continually surrendering his or her rights to God.

Jesus was the perfect example of meekness,
for as He said, He did nothing except what the Father told Him to do.
Jesus was meek
when He took a whip and drove the money-changers from the temple,
just as He was meek
when He stood  before Pilate and refused to utter a word to save Himself.

When Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth,
He was telling us His master strategy
for winning the war against Satan and demon forces on this earth.
God is going to utterly defeat Satan,
and He’s going to do it with individuals
who move in the opposite spirit to the forces of darkness.
We are going to win the victory,
but only as we discern what the devil is doing and do the opposite thing
in the power of the Holy Spirit….

Sometimes we need to do more than relinquish rights
— we need to understand
what the enemy is trying to do in our lives
and combat it in the opposite spirit …

God allows attacks from the enemy
in order to extend Christ’s Kingdom on earth.
We take literal ground for God in this world
every time we respond correctly to Satan’s offensive ….

A tiny band of Christians
found themselves pitted against the formidable forces
of the entire Roman Empire.
A giant nation with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, enslaving every known nation on earth, fueled by the ambition and greed of its citizens and the madness of its dictators,
had turned its entire fury upon a handful of people
who preached that the Son of God
had come to live, die and rise again in a remote part of the empire.

Early believers
responded to this onslaught in the opposite spirit.
Thousands went meekly to their deaths
in every terrifying form which successive emperors could devise.

But the meek won the war.
For every Christian torn apart by the lions of the arena,
more would see their silent witness and join their ranks.
Within three hundred years, Christianity became the official religion of Rome.
Eventually the world’s mightiest nation lay in ruins,
while Christianity continued to spark and spread among new lands and peoples.
The meek do inherit the earth.

Source:  Loren Cunningham, Making Jesus Lord, The dynamic power of laying down your rights,  YWAM Publishing, 1988, pg 100, 118, 107

Paul wrote,
… When we are cursed, we bless;
when we are persecuted, we endure it;
when we are slandered, we answer kindly …  
1 Corinthians 4:12,13 (NIV)

Philip Yancey:

“I remember being  in China  one time
… with the underground church there.
People had to sneak in,
and they could have been arrested
just for attending.
And we were talking about praying for the government, which was persecuting them.

I asked them,
“How do you pray for the government?”

They said,
“We pray
that we can bear the persecution.”

I asked them,
“You don’t pray that they would stop,
that you’d get a change in government?”

They said,
“No, that’s up to God.

We’re here,
and our job is to demonstrate our faith
in the midst of persecution.””

Source: CNN interview

The growth of followers of Jesus
in persecuted countries
who  know Him
and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His sufferings ^{(Philippians 3:10)},
truly is the  work of the Holy Spirit,  in Christ alone.

⁶ … ‘Not by might   nor   by power,
not   by force   nor   by strength ^(NLT)

but  by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.  ^{Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)}

Jesus taught & demonstrated,

⁵ Blessed are the meek,   
For they shall inherit the earth.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness,  for doing what is right ^(ERV)   doing good ^(ICB)
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.   ^{Matthew 5:5,10 (NKJV)}

The kingdom of God is present
in the midst of those who are persecuted
because of righteousness.

From personal experience with persecution,
Peter encouraged us to follow Christ’s example;
meekness in the line of fire.
^2:21 … Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example
for you to follow in His steps, 

^2:23 and while being reviled,
He (Jesus) did not revile in return;
while suffering,
He uttered no threats,
but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.

^4:14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ,
you are   blessed,
because   the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ^{1 Peter 2:21,23, 4:14 (NASB)}

¹⁹ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God,
keep on doing what is right,
and trust your lives to the God who created you,
for he will never fail you.  ^{1 Peter 4:19 (NLT)}

The writer of Hebrews encouraged,
² fixing our eyes on Jesus,
… at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For consider Him
who has endured such hostility
by sinners against Himself,
so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  ^{2Hebrews 13:2, 3 (NASB)}

Amen, thank you Jesus.

---

An example:
In 2012, a large restaurant chain in the US, Chik-fil-A was caught in a controversy over LGBT issues, that drew protests at restaurants & campuses, and strong responses from the mayors of Boston and Chicago.

From this episode, Shane Windmeyer of Campus Pride wrote an honest and open article  on how Dan Truetty, COO of Chik-fil-A reached out in friendship to Windmeyer.  Their friendship helped dispel Windmeyer’s  concerns about Chik-fil-A’s beliefs.

Dan and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A (click here, Huffington Post)
by Shane Windmeyer (really worth reading)

Dan Truett’s humble response in building bridges of understanding, respect  and friendship
is exemplary of a follower of Jesus;
responding in the opposite spirit.

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Meekness – a Biblical perspective

Let’s look at the scriptures about the word meek,

Matthew 5:5 (NKJV, NASB, AMP)
Blessed are the meek (praÿs), For they shall inherit the earth

Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed    [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect]
are the gentle    [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled],
for they will inherit the earth.

There are a few similar Greek words used in the New Testament to describe meekness.

praÿs – mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness

praotēs – gentleness, mildness, meekness

praÿtēs – mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness

praos – gentle, mild, meek

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To see meekness in the Bible,
its best to let scripture interprete & explain scripture,

Galatians 5:22-25 (NKJV)
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³ gentleness (praotēs), self-control. Against such there is no law.

²⁴ And those who are Christ’s
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk in the Spirit.

²⁶ Let us not become conceited,
provoking one another, envying one another.

Meekness or gentleness is the fruit of the Holy spirit working in our lives,
as we walk in the Spirit,  live in the Spirit,
fruit birthed from the seed of God’s word.
Its not produced with our own strength.

Colossians 5:12-14 (NKJV)
¹² Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness (praotēs), longsuffering;
¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another,
if anyone has a complaint against another;
even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

¹⁴ But above all these things put on love,
which is the bond of perfection.

Meekness is one of the character traits of believers
in our loving behavior and attitude towards other believers.

Galatians 6:1,2 (NKJV)
¹ Brothers and sisters,
if someone is caught in a sin,

you who   live by the Spirit
should   restore that person gently (praotēs).

But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

² Carry each other’s burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Meekness is also a restoring attitude
towards others in our midst who may have stumbled,
knowing full well our own weaknesses.

For leadership, observe Paul’s attitude
towards others who challenged him in leadership issues,

1 Corinthians 10:1 (NKJV)
Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you
by the meekness (praotēs) and gentleness of Christ

Meekness or gentleness also characterises
our behavior and attitude towards others who have yet to know Jesus.
Also, in the face of suffering for the sake of righteousness, Peter advises,

1 Peter 3:14-17 (NASB)
¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,
you are blessed.

And do not fear their intimidation,
and do not be troubled,

¹⁵ but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,
always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness (praÿtēs) and reverence;

¹⁶ and keep a good conscience
so that in the thing in which you are slandered,
those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

¹⁷ For it is better, if God should will it so,
that you suffer for doing what is right
rather than for doing what is wrong.

Meek to suffer for doing what is right in Christ,
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  ^{Matthew 5:10 (NKJV)}

Meekness is lived out by the wise and and understanding
through their humble daily deeds, actions.

James 3:13 (NIV)
¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let them show it by their good life,

by deeds done

in the humility (praÿtēs)
that comes from wisdom.

God’s wisdom changes us to be humble servants,  serving others.

Meekness is gained by learning from Jesus, our Lord,
our example.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
²⁹ Take my yoke upon you
and learn from me,
for I am gentle (praos) and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Meekness … responding in a Christlike way,
an attitude … a lifestyle.

In the Old Testament,

God commended Moses —
Now the man Moses was very meek (anav),
more than all people who were on the face of the earth.  ^{Numbers 12:3 (ESV)}
When the Lord commended Moses in this passage in Numbers 12, Moses’ leadership was being challenged by those most closest to him, who served alongside him … a leadership coup was in the making.
Moses humbly submitted the matter to the Lord … he interceded for those who challenged him (Numbers 12:13), … and the Lord vindicated Moses.

Some other Old Testament verses referring to the meek (anav)

… He does not forget the cry of the humble (anav). ^{Psalm 9:12 (NASB)}

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted (anav);
you encourage them,
and you listen to their cry  ^{Psalm 10:17 (NASB)}

Surely He scorns the scornful,
He mocks proud mockers  ^(NIV)
But gives grace to the humble (anav). ^{Proverbs 3:34 (NASB)}

Jesus, James and Peter
quotes Proverbs 3:34
in the New Testament (Mt 23:12; Jas 4:6; 1Pe 5:5)
with regards to our attitudes and behavior towards God and others.
i.e. God is opposed to the proud,
but
gives grace to the humble
shows favor to the humble

Isaiah prophesised,
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the   poor (anav).
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor  ^{Isaiah 61:1 (NKJV)}

Jesus opens his public ministry
by quoting this verse to referring Himself as the Christ (Luke 4 18,19).

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.

²¹ He began by saying to them,
“Today
this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  ^{Luke 4:20, 21 (NIV)}

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Meekness – in practice

Interestingly, a similar phrase like
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth,
also appears in the Old Testament — Psalm 37.

But the meek (anav)
 shall inherit the earth  ^{Psalm 37:11 (NKJV)}

In fact, this theme is expressed in 6 different ways in this psalm, Psalm 37,

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.

¹¹ But the meek
shall inherit the earth

²² For those blessed by Him
shall inherit the earth,

²⁹ The righteous
shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

³⁴ Wait on the Lord, And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you
to inherit the land;

and,

 ¹⁸The blameless
spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

those who wait on the Lord, … the meek
.. the righteous … those who keep His way
… the blameless … those blessed by Him
… shall inherit the earth, .. their inheritance will endure forever

Psalm 37  reminds us  to keep trusting God,
living right, doing good, being meek … in whatever situation
… even when the situation is not fair, … in the firing line.

Let’s be encouraged by the Lord’s words to Abraham,
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your exceedingly great reward.”  ^{Genesis 15:1 (NKJV)}

---

As mentioned, its best to use scripture to explain scripture.

From Cain’s unjust, wicked murder of his brother Abel in Genesis 3,
down thru the recorded history in the Bible,
the struggle between the righteous and the wicked,
unjust suffering for doing good, doing right,
are some of the common themes of the Bible;
that everyone thru the ages would encounter.

Psalm 37, elaborates on our meek response
 when situations are difficult, unjust and challenging.

Let’s examine Psalm 37  from beginning to end,
and glean the Psalmist’s teaching.

Also, … observe the short/sharp action verbs that the Psalmist uses (trust, delight, commit, cease, etc) in this Psalm.

Psalm 37 (NKJV)
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

When things go wrong, … and they do, sometimes,
or when others are winning through unrighteous means,
when situations are unfair,
what we should stop doing (verse 1) — do not fret, nor be envious
and why (verse 2) — in time, they’ll wither away

i.e.  Let’s look away from other people and their deeds.
Let’s also not just focus on the current short-term gains/advantage of others.

Trust God’s faithfulness,
God’s vindication.
(btw, observe the alternating repetition in the literary structure)

Dwell in His Word, presence and assurance,
receive His abundance of peace,
as we worship and delight in Him.

Recapping the first 11 verses of Psalm 37,
the meek:
— do not fret
— not envious
— trust in the Lord, do good, delight in the Lord,
— commit their way to the Lord
— just and righteous
— rest in the Lord, wait patiently for the Lord,
— cease from anger, forsake wrath

Therefore,
from Psalm 37, being meek, meekness
is  being self-controlled, calm under pressure,
doing good,
Christ-like,
patiently trusting the Lord, delighting in the Lord
with joyful thanksgiving.

The next section of Psalms 37
elaborates on,

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off; …
¹⁰ For yet a little while
and the wicked shall be no more; …

⁹ … But those who wait on the Lord,
those who trust in the Lord ^(NLT)
They shall inherit the earth.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

With the Lord’s separation
of the wicked
who shall be no more, cut off
from
the meek, the just & righteous
who trust the Lord,

therefore,  left behind are
those who trust in the Lord
— the meek shall inherit the earth,
and delight in abundant peace.

Praise God!

The next part of the Psalm 37,
contrasts
the life & future outcome of the wicked (mentioned 12 times),
from  the meek, the righteous who trust the Lord.

¹² The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.

¹³ The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.

¹⁵ Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

Amazing 🙂 ,

when the wicked plots evil upon the upright, the poor and needy,
they’re  dealing directly with the Lord.

The Lord knows what’s going on.

While the wicked gnashes against the just,
The Lord laughs at him,

The Lord contends on behalf of the upright, the poor and needy.

And for the wicked,  their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

The battle is the Lord’s!
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you:
‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.
For the battle is not yours, but God’s.  (2 Chronicles 2:20 NIV)

¹⁶ A little that a righteous man has
Is better
than the riches of many wicked.

(NLT)
¹⁶ It is better to be godly and have little
    than to be evil and rich.

When we choose to walk in God’s paths,
keep looking upon the true wealth we have in Christ,
rather than just only the balance sheet of earthly assets & treasures.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.

(NLT)
¹⁷ For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
    but the Lord takes care of the godly.

Look upon the protection & preservation of the Lord upon His children,
God is just and merciful.

The Lord is more powerful than the schemes of the wicked.

 ¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
¹⁹ They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

(NIV)
¹⁸ The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

Look upon our omniscient Lord who knows everything.
He cares.
He is our Provider, He is in control.
He will sustain us through this.

… not ashamed … not wither
… satisfied … enjoy plenty
even in,  disaster … famine

Look to God’s reward.
The Lord has a firm inheritance for His people.

²⁰ But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

The earthly treasures, fame, riches gained justly or unjustly
are temporal, transient, especially in our present world of continuous change.
God will deal with the people who are unjust.

²¹ The wicked borrows and does not repay,

But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
²² For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,

But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.

The contrast
— either we’re takers, grabbers,
or gracious givers,
responding in the opposite spirit.
Being generous like the Lord (see 37:25).

In Psalm 37, the Psalmist first begins with our down-to-earth view of the challenges we are facing …. and gradually shifts our eyes and thoughts up to the Lord … in the second part of the Psalm.
From man’s finite earthly perspective … to God’s perspective …. the seen to the unseen world.
The Psalmist also gives us a glimpse of the unseen realm … in the midst of our challenges.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly
we are being renewed day by day.

¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.

¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.

In the midst of challenges, the Psalmist does not say

flee & run … or stand & fight,
or
be angry, vengeful, vindictive,

rather,
face the challenge with God’s strength,
continue to trust God, trust His faithfulness,
continue to pray,
continue to do good to others,
meek, gentle,
respond in the opposite spirit.

The Psalmist is authentic, he does not deny the reality of challenges we all face, … and our internal struggle, feelings,
yet, he knows the only way out is to stand on the truth of the Lord and continue to do good.

From this Psalm, the Psalmist reminds us the character of God,

The Lord upholds,
The Lord knows,
The Lord will not leave him in his hand
the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His saints
Salvation is from the Lord
The Lord is our strength
The Lord shall help them and deliver them
The Lord save them

and the Lord’s loving guidance and faithfulness

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

He shall give you the desires of your heart.
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
He shall exalt you to inherit the land;

This psalm also describes the character and destiny of the righteous and wicked, (… will leave you to create this list from the Psalm 🙂 )

Hence, meekness is not weakness,
as we depend and lean on the Lord’s grace, strength & intervention.

Meekness also does not mean being a doormat for others,
but a humble foot-washer of other’s feet.

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… inherit the earth ?

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth

How about the second part of the verse?
For they shall inherit the earth (γῆ gē)

γῆ gē — arable land, the ground, the earth, land,  the earth as a whole  ^{(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)}

In view of Zephaniah’s prophecy,

Zephaniah 3:11-13 (HCSB)
¹¹ On that day
you will not be put to shame
because of everything you have done
in rebelling against Me.      (receiving God’s mercy and grace)

For then I will remove
your proud, arrogant people from among you,
and you will never again be haughty
on My holy mountain.

¹² I will leave
a meek and humble people among you,
and they will take refuge in the name of Yahweh.
trust in the name of the Lord.  ^(NKJV)

¹³ The remnant of Israel will
no longer  do wrong or tell lies;
a deceitful tongue will not be found
in their mouths.      they won’t trick people with their words  ^(NCV)

But they will pasture and lie down,
they will graze peacefully like sheep and lie down  ^(NET)
with nothing to make them afraid.

The proud, arrogant and haughty are removed from God’s holy mountain,
the meek and humble remnant will inherit the land,
— pasture and lie down peacefully, unafraid,
trusting the Lord, living in reverence before the Lord.

Let’s also consider the word inherit …

When an elderly person passes way
he leaves behind his estate, everything he/she owns
to his sole relative, … a distant nephew living far away in a distant country whom he may not have spoken for a long time.
In an instant, the nephew inherits his uncle’s whole estate.

Hence, in an inheritance,
one receives,
not by any effort, or works,
unearned, undeserved,
but simply through a relationship,
sealed by a will,
through the death of someone.

Hebrews 11:15-17 (NIV)
¹⁵ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant,
that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance
—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

¹⁶ In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
¹⁷ because a will is in force only when somebody has died;
it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.

We have been adopted as God’s children,

Romans 8:15 (NLT)
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God’s Spirit
when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

and, we have an inheritance from Him,

1 Peter1:3-6 (HCSB)
³ Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy,
He has given us

a new birth
into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
⁴ and
into an inheritance
that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you.

⁵ You are being protected by God’s power
through faith
for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
⁶ You rejoice in this,
though now for a short time
you have had to struggle in various trials

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
³ His (God’s)  divine power
has given us everything we need for a godly life
through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
⁴ Through these he (God) has given us
his very great and precious promises,
so that through them
you may participate in the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

as echoed in Psalm 37,

Psalm 37:18 (NIV)
The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.

Therefore, the meek
they do not buy it,   grab it,   work for it,
or fight for it,  or   argue over it,
… they inherit all this,  freely from the Lord.

²⁷ … Christ lives in you,
and he  is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.  ^{Colossians 1:27 (CEV)}

What then is the land/earth?

If we were to take the word ‘earth’ or ‘land’ to mean literally physical land,
then, its not exactly clear what Jesus meant by ‘the earth’ in the sermon on the mount,
There’s no physical land promised  in the New Covenant.
Furthermore, for the early disciples and apostles
none of them received physical land, rather for them their experience was more like this … 

Hebrews 10:32-36 (NASB)
³² But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, ³³ partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated.
³⁴ For you showed sympathy to the prisoners
and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property,
knowing that you have for yourselves
a better possession and a lasting one.

(an inheritance that will endure forever)

³⁵ Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
³⁶ For you have need of endurance,
so that when you have done the will of God,
you may receive what was promised.

The writer of Hebrews continues in the next section to highlight believers in the Old Testament,

Hebrews 11:10, 13, 16,  12:28,29 (NIV)
 ^11:10 For he (Abraham) was looking forward to
the city 
with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

^11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died.
They did not receive the things promised;
they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance,
admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 

^11:16 Instead, they were longing
for a better country—a heavenly one.
therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he (God) has prepared
a city for them.

and then, about us in the new covenant

^12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving
a kingdom
that cannot be shaken,

let us be thankful,
and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

a better country—a heavenly one,
a city  with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
receiving a kingdom  that cannot be shaken
This inheritance  God has prepared
is also consistent with the context of the beattitudes in the sermon on the mount, i.e.

Matthew 5:3, 5, 8, 10, 11,12 (NIV)
³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad,  because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This is also confirmed in the parable of the sheep and goats — the inheritance of the sheep

³² All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³ and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘
Come, you who are blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 
Matthew 25:32-34 (NASB)

Inherit the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God.

Thus, Peter wrote:

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away
with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
and the earth and its works will be burned up.

¹³ But according to His promise
we are looking for new heavens and a new earth,
in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:10, 13 (NASB)

On a further note on Matthew 5;5,
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will   inherit the earth,
— “to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom: Matthew 5:5″
(Source:  Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

John heard and saw the new earth & new heavens in Revelation

Revelation 21:2-4. 5. 7, 22:12 (NASB)
 ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 
³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men,
and He will dwell among them,
and they shall be His people,
and God Himself will be among them, 
⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

⁵ And He who sits on the throne said,
“Behold, I am making all things new.” …
 ⁷ He who overcomes will inherit these things,
and I will be his God and he will be My son.  

^22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly,
and My reward is with Me,

to render to every man
according to what he has done.

Furthermore, in the Old Testament, the word ‘portion’ is used to describe something one inherits,
Thus, ultimately,
The Lord is my portion,
God is my portion forever,

Psalm 73:25,26 (NASB)
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven  but  You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.” ^{Lamentation 3:24 (NIV)}

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance. ^{Psalm 16:5,6 (NIV)}

In view of God’s mercy & grace,
rather than fighting over things/rights with people around us,
let’s acknowledge that our only true source of everything we have is
our gracious Lord, who gave his life for us,
to restore us and bless us,
in whom we trust.

Received by His grace,
unearned, undeserved.

He gives grace
to the humble (anav)

He alone is our provider, sustainer, merciful & just judge, vindicator,
who sees everything,
and ultimately,
He is our rewarder.

The Lord’s words to Abraham,
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
(Genesis 15:1 NKJV)

In the Old Covenant,
only the tribe of Levi  from the Hebrew race,
were priests of the Lord.
For the tribe of Levi, who were priests of the Lord,
the Lord is their inheritance

Deuteronomy 9:8,9 (NASB)
⁸ At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. ⁹ Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers;
the Lord is his inheritance, just as the Lord your God spoke to him.

Peter wrote about the people of God in the New Covenant,

1 Peter 1:9,10 (NASB)
⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession,
so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 

¹⁰ for you once were not a people,
but now you are the people of God;
you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.  

The people of God in the New Covenant in Jesus blood,
every single one of them
are part of  a chosen race, a royal priesthood  unto God.

Furthermore, in Revelations 5, those around the throne of God sang of Jesus,

Revelations 5:10 (NASB)
¹⁰ “You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests to our God;
and they will reign upon the earth.”

For the people of God
— the Lord is their inheritance,
their exceedingly great reward,
their portion,  delightful inheritance,
— He will dwell among them,
and they shall be His people

Jesus explained how this is possible,
²⁰ and teaching them to
obey   everything I have commanded you.

And surely
I am with you  always,
to the very end of the age.”  ^{20Matthew 28:20 (NASB)}

In the parable of the sheep and the goats,
Jesus pointed out that the righteous sheep
will inherit the kingdom of God, (not the goats),

Matthew 25:34 (NASB)
“Then the King will say to those on His right,
‘Come, you who are blessed    of My Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you    from the foundation of the world.

blessed … inherit the kingdom prepared for you  ^{(Matthew 25:34)},
blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the earth.  ^{(Matthew 5:5)}

Christ lives in you   ^{(Colossians 1:27)}
and He will dwell among them,
and they shall be His people,
and God Himself will be among them  ^{(Revelation 22:3)}

⁷ He who overcomes will inherit these things,
and I will be his God
and he will be My son. ^{Revelation 22:7 (NASB)}

Therefore,

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 10:35, 36 (NIV)
 ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence;
it will be richly rewarded.
³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,
you will receive what he has promised.

While we’re here on earth, … Jesus said,

¹⁹ Behold, I have given you authority
to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy,
and nothing will injure you.
²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Luke 10:19, 20 (NASB)

¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19 (NASB)

Therefore, let us continue praying and believing our Father,

In conclusion,
Meekness …. responding in a Christlike way.

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On a side note — For unethical acts, is there justice for such acts?
Consider the political, industrial,  ethical and character failure scandals that explode upon our media every now and then … resulting in the downfall of the once mighty.

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¹ Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
² Charles Swindoll, Improving Your Serve

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Further Reading:

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Daily Rice | Serving Quietly

by 林弟兄, bro Lim
July 25, 2015
laymanointing.wordpress.com

Copyright © 林弟兄 bro Lim, Laymanointing, 2014-2016 – All Rights Reserved
Creative Commons License

 

 

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