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In The Garden Daily Devotional
Series: A Walk Through Matthew
"The MEEK Factor"
Pastor Wayne Clabaugh
SCRIPTURE TEXT: "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the
earth." Matthew 5:5 (KJV)
According to Webster, the word “meek” refers to
one willing to endure injury with Patience or
resentment.
In today's world the word “meek” is not
a characteristic of honor. The word is
seen as someone who is a spineless “yes man” who will
never amount to much of anything. Yet the
scripture says, “the meek… shall inherit the
earth”.
Have you ever worked for someone you considered to be a
Tyrant? Have you ever said you couldn’t work with so-sand-so
or wouldn’t work with so-and-so?
Personality clashes are a pathway to the top in
the corporate world of today, and that pathway is
littered with the remains of one who didn’t care
who they stepped on or hurt on their way up. Oh
“Blessed are the meek”.
America has become the #1 pharmacy dispenser in
the WORLD. We have pills to make us sleep; pills
to make us happy; pills to calm us down and
pills to pick us up. There are whole aisles of
over the counter pills for upset stomachs and
ulcers. Over 80% of Americans suffer from high
blood pressure, depression, lack of sleep and
uncontrollable anxiety. Even though everything
is electronic and supposed to help us complete
our work faster, we cannot find the time for a
simple walk. Just last week it was reported that
there are more obese people in America than
anywhere else in the world. You can't turn on
the television without seeing an ad about one
diet or another. Yet, in our city of 76,000, we
have 5 McDonalds, 3 Hardees, 4 Sonics, 3 Taco
bells, 3 Taco Johns, 4 Subways, 2 Burger Kings,
2 Wendy's, and 5 Pizza Huts, and countless other Mexican, Italian, and other
"specialty" food restaurants. "Blessed are the
meek."
There are more single-parent families in
America than ever before, and many of the
children don’t even know who their father is.
Most children know more about TV and X-Box than
they do their own parents and most of them have
had to already deal with someone they know doing
drugs and alcohol by the ages of 8 and 9 years
old. "Blessed are the Meek."
Aristotle's translation for today’s text was,
"Blessed is the man who is always angry at the
right time, and never angry at the wrong time."
He said, “Meekness is the happy medium between
too much and too little anger”. But there is
another “Greek” definition for the word "praus"
(meek) that speaks of an animal which has been
domesticated; trained to obey the word of
command or to “answer to the reins”: an animal
which has learned “to accept” control. Perhaps
that’s what our current administration is
counting on here in America – the “learned“
trait of “accepting control” over every facet
of our lives. “Blessed are the Meek”.
The truth is, the “meek” are those who quietly
submit themselves to God and to His word. They
follow His guidance being “gentle” towards all
men. They give soft answers, yet show their
displeasure when there is occasion for it
without being indecent. They keep their cool
when others are hot; and are patient when others
are impatient. They would rather forgive than
seek revenge. They are Christ-like and yes…
“they shall inherit the earth”.
William Barclay says the full translation of the
third beatitude should read:
"O the bliss of the
man who is always angry at the right time and
never angry at the wrong time, who has every
instinct and impulse, and passion under control
because he himself is God-Controlled, who has
the humility to realize his own ignorance and
his own weakness for such a man is a King among
men!"
As David said in Psalms 37:11, "…the meek shall
inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves
in the abundance of peace."
Let's pray,
Father: bring every instinct, and every impulse,
and passion of my life under the direct leading
and Control of Thy Spirit. I want to be nothing
at all, if I am not like You. In the Name of
Jesus I pray, Amen.
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