“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”-Matthew 5:5
I’ve been thinking this week about the text: blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not widely sought after in the world. Perhaps it is too far from glory or riches. Or, perhaps, its true value is not well known.
Meekness, to me, is like a mountain river. If you have ever stood on the banks of a mountain stream and observed, you will find a constant flow of water downstream. Unlike the ocean, a river does not ebb and flow, crash or thunder. It is not heard from afar. You must come up close to it. Therefore, it is not boastful or brash, it does not vaunt itself. Yet in its quietness it maintains its strength. A river can carve through mountains or light a city. It is not easily disturbed. In fact, it can hardly be disturbed. You can throw a huge boulder in a river, and it will absorb the thing and continue unobstructed. Mankind’s sinful nature is not one that will naturally gravitate towards being meek. No, it is proud, and wicked. It is destructive and seeks to impose change by force. Jesus was meek and lowly of heart. He brought change but not by marshaling overwhelming physical forces to suppress the Roman legions. No, Jesus lived what he preached. Leaving us an example that we should be mild in temperament, humble in strength. Never to vaunt oneself or seek to carve out a place for oneself; but rather flowing and moving in humility, consistency and faithfulness. Moreover, Jesus left to us the promise of eternal life. Living water that will satisfy the soul, redeem the sinner, and grant us an inheritance of eternal life. A new heaven, a new earth, and a new life. To surrender to Christ is to die to ourselves; so that we can be raised from our sinful life and receive the Holy Ghost. This will settle us in the influence and power of the Spirit, thereby allowing us to flow down the stream of meekness. Only in this can we gain the inherited promise of the new heaven and new earth. We come out from under the judgment of God and find ourselves among those that inherit all things. Our inheritance is not dust and rocks, dollars and cents. It is not some new supernatural second coming that descends to replace this sinful world. Christ has come and has given all things to those who believe! We can receive the everlasting inheritance that John saw in Revelation and possess it right here. Right now. The wait is over! Fall out of love with sin and in love with Christ! Repent and be baptized in the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit which will take us from earth to glory and help us to leave behind deeds, and testimonies of righteousness. Evidence of the promise for those who come behind us. The mountain river flows down and gains nutrients, preserves life, and passes on goodness. Meekness will do the same. Meek are the people that will not seek to dominate, but rather to steward. To give. To shepherd.
A tree planted by a stream will grow strong because it is nourished by that stream. In that tree birds will live and from it drop insects and fruit in abundance for animals and fish to feed on. This is because the stream carries nutrients, and therefore life. There is life in the river. A river of life proceeds from the throne of God today. It cannot be deeded or surveyed with the natural eye, but it remains a spiritual inheritance to the meek, and the blessed promise of the earth. Not one that you must wait for, but one you can have right now through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Revelation says: “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
