Meekness Isn’t Weakness
Everything around us—the world, the culture, the people—tends to applaud power and strength, independence and intelligence, boldness and superiority.
But in the third beatitude, a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom, Jesus highlighted something different, saying:
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5 NIV
The English word "meek" comes from the Greek word "praeis." It means gentle, humble, or submissive; modest, mild, or unpretentious. In fact, when Paul describes the “fruits of the Spirit” (traits developed in His people by His Spirit), the words "meekness" and "gentleness" are often used interchangeably.
But, let’s be clear: If such descriptions paint a frail and feeble picture in your mind, you can be certain that meekness isn’t weakness.
Meekness is strength under control. It's power submitted to God’s authority.
Now, if “meek” isn’t a word that you’d use to currently describe yourself, that’s okay. Jesus wasn’t speaking to those who had it all together—and He isn’t expecting a perfect version of us, either. Instead, He’s extending a blessing on who His people were (and are) becoming.
God is continually developing these beatitude traits inside of His followers. He's refining, sanctifying, and transforming us to be more and more like Him.
In Scripture, Jesus Himself is called “meek.” But as you probably know, He was far from passive, apathetic, or a pushover. Instead of relying on His own power—like summoning legions of angels to avoid hanging on that cross—He leaned into God’s strength and restrained His limitless power.
Jesus’ upside-down kingdom will be packed with those who harness their strength for God’s glory and who humble themselves at His feet.
Are You Ready?
The greatest measure of who we are and what we love is how we spend our time.
Where do you spend most of your time? Most of us spend the majority of it with family, at work, or on hobbies. All of those are important things that we should invest in. But Jesus says there’s another thing that we need to spend time doing.
There are a lot of different ideas people have for when Jesus will return, but ultimately, Jesus says that nobody will know the time and date. He will come at a time when we least expect Him.
So until He does come, He says that we should be ready. We tend to spend most of our time working on finding the right career, or pursuing certain relationships, or building wealth and possessions. And yet, none of those things will prepare us for when Jesus returns.
So what can we do to prepare?
The first thing is to put your faith in Jesus, by believing that He gave His life so that you could have eternal life. Next, commit to spending time with Him, confessing your ...