“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

The Man who conquered death describes Himself as “meek.” We simply are not accustomed to thinking of meekness as a virtue, much less that it is associated with spiritual power.

Jesus shares with us one of His secrets of success in life, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Like all His secrets, this one is radical. No one taught us this in grade school! The question that’s important to ask is, What does this really mean?

 

The Man who conquered death describes Himself as “meek.” We simply are not accustomed to thinking of meekness as a virtue, much less that it is associated with spiritual power. Click To Tweet
 

The person who has been “meeked” has had his/her stubborn self-will broken so as to be easy to lead, easy to teach. She or he is “married” to the will of another.
 
When Jesus found us, we were like the wild stallion that does whatever it wishes. It is simply wild. It follows its own instincts. But in order to become the powerful steed of a warrior who will ride it into battle, it must be broken to the will of a trusted master.
 

Such a horse can be ridden into the noise and flames of war, allowing itself to be guided by the subtle pressures of the master’s feet or shifts of weight, freeing the warrior’s hands for sword and shield. This horse loves being one with its master.
 
The blessing of becoming meek is that we keep discovering the joy of doing life with Jesus in charge. C.S. Lewis titled his story “Surprised By Joy,” for no one begins with the idea that God’s ways satisfy our deepest longings.
 

The blessing of becoming meek is that we keep discovering the joy of doing life with Jesus in charge. Click To Tweet
 

When Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28) I can imagine Him chuckling: “So you’ve been doing this your way. How’s that working for you?”
 
Only when we’re sick and tired of “our way” does His way look attractive. When we’re ready, He offers to take our load. It is the way of becoming meek. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).
 
When Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28) I can imagine Him chuckling: “So you’ve been doing this your way. How’s that working for you?” Click To Tweet
 

Since Jesus is meek and humble in heart, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this is the path to our destiny. Listen to Him say to you today, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” It begins to sink in. My wellness is to become meek and humble in heart.
 
We have an inheritance: something we did not earn nor deserve. But He must meek us in order to lead us into it.
 

The “Blessings” of Matthew 5 have an order: We go through things that help us become poor in spirit. Our hurts help us learn to climb into Father’s lap and receive comfort. It begins to take effect, and we become less hard-headed, easier to lead. “Blessed are the meek, for ….” OK, we’re getting it!

 

This is part three of the Eight Fold Path Series. If you’ve just arrived to this blog post, you’re invited to skip back to the beginning and read them in consecutive order.
 
In your journal, revisit the first two steps of being poor in spirit and finding comfort. You may notice some connections between the Performance Based exercise and the points of need you found on step two. These steps all build on each other in a life-long process of becoming Meek like Christ, so as you go through this series, I invite you to revisit the previous steps each time and expect realizations.
 
Further up and farther in!
 
Jerry

 

This blog series begins with 8-Fold Path: The Way Out of Darkness, and is excerpted from Jerry Daley’s book on the Beatitudes, entitled Following Jesus Into the Blessing.

 

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