Meekness, Part 1

During the week I receive a meditation online entitled Larry Lilly’s Letter. This is published by a pastor, whom I have had the privilege of meeting at a conference in Indiana. Recently, Pastor Lilly has been writing a series on the self and the battle we all have with it. Then I have been reviewing the message that our brother Greg Ohly recently brought. In this message, Greg quoted someone who said that “meekness is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest, that the meek person is not occupied with self.” This has all set me to thinking about meekness as it relates to the self.

Now let’s begin by noticing the definition of meekness and others words related to it.

Meekness - Gentleness of spirit; humility.

Humility – The quality of being humble or having a lowly opinion of oneself; the opposite of pride or haughtiness.

Humble – Having a low estimate of one’s importance, worthiness, or merits; marked by the absence of self-assertion or self- exaltation; lowly.

Observe that a meek person is a humble person and that a humble person is characterized by the absence of self-assertion or self-exaltation. This lines up with Greg’s comments about meekness. If we would be truly meek, the self must be dethroned!

We can further understand meekness by noticing those things that are associated with it in Scripture. Meekness is associated with lowliness.

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Lowliness is defined as meekness and humility. In the following verse those who are lowly are contrasted with those who are proud.

Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

We all know that proud people are very stuck on themselves. In contrast, the meek have a low estimate of themselves. Hence, they are also called the lowly. Meekness is also associated with gentleness.

2 Corinthians 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ….

Titus 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

A meek person will not be so prone to speak evil of others and to quarrel with others. A proud person, who is stuck on himself and his opinions, will not bear being crossed. Hence, a proud person will be quick to speak evil of those who cross him and he will pick fights with them. And then meekness is associated with submissiveness to authority. Peter teaches that the woman who is adorned with a meek spirit will be in subjection to her own husband.

1 Peter 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands…
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

The woman, who is so into herself and what she wants, is not likely to submit to the authority of her husband. It does not matter that God commands this of her. She is so stuck on herself and doing what she wants, that she will not be controlled by another, not even God. To such I would say that resisting any God-ordained authority, when it is exercised in a godly way, is resistance to God Himself. And such resistance will be met with damnation.

Romans 13:1 ¶Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

Observe again in the light of all that has been said thus far, that if you are truly meek, the self must be dethroned! This is the core of meekness. Now let me give you an excellent summation that I gleaned from the book An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount by Authur W. Pink:

Meekness is the opposite of self-will toward God, and of ill-will toward men.

That sums up the dictionary definition and the supporting verses that I have given thus far. Now let this sentence from Mr. Pink sit with you and do some soul-searching in the light of it. God willing, I shall have more to write about this later.

He Is Able

A song crossed my mind today as I tried to comfort a soul with the reminder of God’s ability to deliver. In fact, I am singing it in my mind as I compose this meditation. When our children were all home and we had family devotionals, we used to sing this song. The chorus goes like this:

“He is able to deliver thee, He is able to deliver thee;
Though by sin oppressed, Go to Him for rest,
Our God is able to deliver thee.”

This then brought to mind the question our Lord Jesus posited to two blind men, who cried out to Him to have mercy upon them. It is a searching question that we do well to put to ourselves, whenever we approach God with a need.

Matthew 9:28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

“Believe ye that I am able to do this?” That is the question. Our Lord did not ask them if they believed He would do it. He rather asked them if they believed He could do it. The blind men responded by affirming their faith in the Lord’s ability. To this affirmation of faith our Lord responded.

Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

Faith in His ability to deliver these blind men moved our Lord to actually deliver them. Just believing that God is able to perform has far reaching consequences for good. Whatever darkness, distress, despair, debt, disease, or other d-word you may be experiencing, when you bring it to your Lord, do you believe He is able to deliver you? Even if the Lord does not deliver you in the way you might desire of Him, do you still believe He is able to deliver you?

Consider the example of our father Abraham.

Romans 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Observe that a strong faith is fully persuaded that God is able to perform what He promises, even though the circumstances seem impossible, as they did to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham did not consider his own weakness. He rather focused on what God was able to do. We would all be better off if we focused more on what God is able to do and less on our own weakness.

Let the following verse give you some idea of the extent to which your God is able to deliver you.

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Our God is able to do all that we ask or even think. We cannot think of anything beyond God’s ability to perform. He can not only do all that we ask or think, He is able to do above all or beyond everything that we ask or think. He can not only do above all that we ask or think, He is able to do abundantly or exceedingly above all that we ask or think. But He can not only do abundantly above all that we ask or think, He is able to do exceeding or extremely abundantly above all that we ask or think. In other words, God’s ability extends extremely beyond the extremes of anything that we can verbalize or imagine.

Or try this one on for size.

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

That uttermost reaches your most desperate and far-reaching needs for deliverance. No matter how big the problem or weak your ability to deal with it, God is able deliver you. Your problem will never be beyond God’s ability.

So the next time you are in trouble and someone tries to encourage you by pointing you to God’s ability to deliver, do not respond with a sigh, “Yea, yea, I know…….” That sigh is an expression of doubt. Instead, confidently affirm as did these two blind men, “Yea, Lord.” You have not even begun to tap into His ability to save you.

Remember that the Lord responded to the faith of these blind men by saying, “According to your faith be it unto you.” Christ was honoured by their faith in His ability. God deals with us according to our faith. We will miss much in the way of blessing if our faith in God’s ability is weak. If our faith in God’s ability is weak, that indicates that we think God is weak. This kind of unbelief grieves the Spirit of God. Remember the words of the song and recite them with a full persuasion of their truth: “He is able to deliver thee.” Affirm your faith in His ability and then watch Him perform on your behalf!

Waging War

While the word war refers primarily to armed conflict between nations or between opposing parties within a nation, it can also be applied to any active contention between living beings. Like it or not, we all have to wage war with others from time to time. This can take on the form of nations declaring war upon each other, or a person physically fighting off an attacker, or persons contending with one another in a court of law or in the court of the church, or two opponents engaging in a verbal debate, or parents having to resist a rebellious teenager. As Christians, it is our duty to avoid conflict as much as possible as the following verse clearly shows.

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dr. Robin Wright once said that we should not go looking for battles. He said that God will bring to us the battles that He wants us to fight. I quite agree with Dr. Wright. Our general disposition should be toward seeking peace rather than conflict. However, as the above verse allows, there are times when it is not possible to live peaceably with other men. At such times, there will be conflict. In the face of this possibility, it pays to know how to wisely wage war.

War is never something any of us should rush into. Consider these two passages given by the wisest man that ever lived with the exception of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 20:18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Proverbs 25:8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

If you are considering waging war, it is always wise to seek out good advice before doing so. To hastily jump into a conflict without counsel can leave you defeated in the end. The great military strategist Sun Tzu taught that it takes more than courage to win a war. A reckless general may be courageous, but lacking wisdom, he will be a calamity. Battles are lost for want of counsel.

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall.

Now it is always possible that one could be suddenly attacked by a thug, which would require him to quickly resort to self-defense. But by practicing forethought and caution, one can often avoid the places and people where those kinds of attacks are more likely to occur.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Seeking counsel is especially important when the desire to wage war is motivated by anger or revenge since passion tends to interfere with good judgment. Observe that one should make war with good advice. Your information will never be any better than your source of information. Talk to people of experience and sober judgment, who have both witnessed battles and fought some themselves. And don’t just talk to the people you expect will agree with you. Get an opposing viewpoint. In fact, you will find it safer to get several viewpoints. “In the multitude of counsellers there is safety” (Proverbs 24:6). Weigh all the information and then decide on a course of action.

Before entering into any conflict, always ask yourself what you intend to accomplish. What is your objective? In a publication entitled War: Moral or Immoral, Colonel R. B. Thieme, Jr. wrote: “No great military organization has ever succeeded without a thorough knowledge of its objective.” Is your objective to rescue a kidnapped family member as when Abraham waged war to rescue his nephew Lot (Genesis 14:12-14)? Or is it getting your fair share of property? Or is it stopping a behaviour that is destroying the company, or the church, or the family? Or is your objective merely to take revenge? If so, you are intruding into God’s domain.

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Always be sure your objectives do not clash with God’s express will for you life.

Also, before you enter into a conflict, ask yourself if this is really your battle to fight. Sometimes in our zeal to right wrongs, we take on what is properly another person’s battle. I may see wrong in another pastor’s church, but righting that wrong is not my responsibility. God did not commit to me the oversight of every church. Our U.S. military today is stretched too thinly because we have bought into the idea that it is our calling as a nation to right the wrongs of other nations. Solomon said it so well in this proverb:

Proverbs 26:17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.

And when you contemplate whether to wage war or not, always count the cost and ask yourself if it is worth that cost. Our Lord taught the wisdom of this principle.

Luke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

Now there may always be that battle worth fighting whether you win or lose. Many a Christian has lost his job, his friends, his family, and even his life because he stood his ground on principle and would not surrender. Of course, in the larger picture, such loss is only temporary. In the end, the Christian will emerge the victor.

Matthew 16:25 …whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

A Call to Worship

Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

This verse raises a favourite topic of mine to consider, the topic of worship. The experience of worship intrigues me. Worship is such an essential part of our Christian profession. It should be the passion of our lives. Nothing is more important. I find myself often frustrated that I do not draw from the worship experience as much as I want. I must constantly battle annoying distractions. This frustration only leaves me yearning to try again. I suspect that we will never fully enter into the experience of worship until we reach glory.

In the above verse the Psalmist is having a dialogue with himself. As human beings our Creator has endowed us with the ability of self-reflection. We can actually reflect on ourselves, consider ourselves, pass judgment upon ourselves, and carry on a dialogue with ourselves. Do you ever chide yourself when you do something wrong? I can really chew out Ben Mott. Or do you ever remind yourself to do something? I write notes to myself so that I can remember. All of this is our ability of self-reflection at work. This verse is an example of this marvellous power of self-reflection. The Psalmist is literally talking to himself. He is telling his soul to bless the holy name of the Lord. The word bless is actually in the imperative mood, which suggests that the Psalmist is commanding himself. He is issuing to himself a call to worship. Have you ever called yourself to worship?

Consider the definition of bless as it is used in this verse.

Bless – To call holy; to extol, praise, or adore (God) as holy, worthy of reverence.

To adore God as holy is to worship Him by definition. Now our Psalmist calls upon his soul to bless the Lord with all that is within him. The commentator G. Campbell Morgan had some very arresting comments to make upon this verse. He wrote:

The one value of these opening words is that they show us that worship is not involuntary, automatic. It calls for the co-ordination of all our powers, if it is to be perfect. This truth should arrest us whenever we enter the place of worship. The sanctuary is not a lounge, a place of relaxation. We should enter it with all the powers of personality arrested, arranged, dedicated.

To which I say, “Amen!” Worship is something we should prepare for. We ought to focus all our powers of desire, feeling, thought, and purpose upon the exercise of worship. Worship is something we should look forward to. We should go to church intending to give the worship of God our best. No doubt we will get more out of church worship, if we put more of ourselves into it!

Think about something you really look forward to doing. Maybe it is taking a vacation. Perhaps it is watching or attending a sporting event. Or maybe it is pursuing a relationship. Consider how much you pour yourself into it. Now compare that with how you approach worship. Do you approach worship with as much of yourself invested in it as in other things. If not, then you need to have a talk with yourself. You need to take charge of yourself and command yourself to bless the Lord with all that is within you. I challenge you to issue to yourself a call to worship the Lord. I can call you to worship. But it will be much more effective if you call yourself to it!

I would appreciate it if you would leave a brief comment letting me know that you are receiving these meditations. Thank you.

Haste, Part 4

We come now to the last meditation in this series on the subject of haste. In these meditations I have repeatedly told you that the resolution to the problem of haste is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is evident from the text that we have been considering.

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Now the antidote to making haste is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the tried cornerstone. So much of our haste arises from a lack of faith. If you find yourself always rushing about, take time to stop, step aside from the rat race, and ask yourself why you are in such a hurry to do everything. You may respond that it is because you have so much to do and so little time to do it. But have you ever considered if you do indeed have to do all you think you have to do? If you really take time to ponder the path of your feet and consider your ways, you will find that a lot of what you are doing is not necessary. Many things can either be delayed, or delegated, or left undone.

Now look behind all that you are doing and ask yourself why you are doing it. You may find that what is driving you is a need to achieve more and more to feel good about yourself. In this case you are finding your identity in your accomplishments instead of your relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. The cure for this is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe what His word tells you about who you are in Him. Find your identity in what Christ declares about you rather than in your achievements. Don’t make the mistake that Israel made.

Romans 10:1 ¶Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

In trying to make themselves righteous, Israel was zealously trying to accomplish what Christ had already accomplished. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, Scripture declares that you are already righteous before God by what Christ did for you. Hear it!

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

If you belong to Christ, you are a child of God and an heir of glory (Romans 8:16-17). Believe that and you will not be so driven to make a name and an identity for yourself.

Or perhaps you are rushing about doing so much because you feel you need to be in control of everyone and everything around you. You only feel secure if you are in control. Or maybe you are insecure about the future and you are rushing madly about trying to make every dollar you can so as to be protected against a possible coming calamity. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is again the cure for this. Trust the fact that all things are put under the feet of Christ, not yours, and that He is Head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:22). He has the kingdom of Satan, this world, its nations and their governments, its financial markets, and everything else under control. He knows what they are doing and what they intend. They can do nothing without His knowledge and permission. If you are part of the church, Christ is governing all things with a view to your benefit. You can confidently let go the reins and commit everything to his control. As for the fears about the future, hear the words of our Saviour.

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The best you can do is to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, to work, to be frugal, to save as best you can, and then do not worry about tomorrow. And whatever you cannot do, you cannot do. The limit of your ability is not the limit of God’s ability! As surely as you haste to get rich quickly, you will err.

Proverbs 28:20 ¶A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

Or perhaps you are rushing about because you are trying to measure up to somebody else. Maybe you are running the children to this event and that event because everybody else is doing it and you think this is necessary to be a good parent. You are measuring yourself by others. The apostle Paul plainly tells that that people who do this are not wise.

2 Corinthians 10:12 ¶For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Or maybe you are trying to fulfill the demands that others place upon you that the Lord did not put upon you. Our Lord plainly instructed us not to let others impose grievous burdens upon us.

Matthew 23:1 ¶Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

In contrast our Lord says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Trust Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life and serve Him rather than men. Take your direction from Him. “He that believeth on him shall not make haste.”

Can you not begin to see that faith in Jesus Christ our Lord is the remedy for the life of haste? Behind so much of our rushing is a lack of faith. May God increase the faith of us all so that we shall not make haste and, therefore, shall not be confounded.