The Apostle Paul mentored young churches and pastors during the middle of the First Century A.D. None of his preaching posts were trouble-free. Even the Church at Philippi, one of his favorites, had problems. He addressed issues wherever he found them. Here is what he wrote to the Philippians: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus—who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:4, 5).

 

To what end did Paul write his letters? In addition to addressing congregational issues, he urged Christians to practice kindness and gentleness with each other. To the Christians at Rome he wrote, “Welcome a man whose faith is weak, but not with the idea of arguing over his scruples. One man believes that he may eat anything; another man, without this strong conviction, is a vegetarian…they should reflect that God has accepted them both” (Romans 14:1-3, Phillips).

 

The theme of this week’s “Tuesday Morning” is “Meekness, not Weakness.” It is attached below. Continue reading below whenever you are ready. Then look for ways you can foster a new wave of gentleness where Christians gather near you. The example you set will be observed and followed by others.

 

Tom Barnard

A Senior Advocate

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      Meekness, not Weakness

Tom Barnard

 

 

eekness is mentioned throughout the Bible, and when it is mentioned, there is no suggestion of weakness. In fact, meekness suggests the existence of an inner strength—an inner power. Paul suggested that meekness and gentleness were characteristics demonstrated by Jesus himself (2 Corinthians 10:1).

 

When Jesus taught, wealthy people did not flock in large numbers to see and hear him. His ministry was to common, hard-working people. When he spoke the Beatitudes, his audience was stunned by what he said. They had been taught a point of view that was opposite to his. When he began with the word, “Blessed,” they expected him to say, “Blessed are the rich…blessed are those who live long lives…blessed are the strong…blessed are those who have plenty to eat…blessed are those who have many sons.” They were not prepared to hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit …blessed are those who mourn … blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness … blessed are those who are persecuted ….” And they definitely were not prepared to hear, “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:1-10 NIV).

 

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31, 32 NIV). But salvation is not a group process; it is an individual relationship. Holiness is not a corporate activity; it requires a personal commitment. At the heart of an intimate relationship with God are teachings like these from Psalm 37: “Trust in the Lord, and do good … Delight thyself also in the Lord … Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him … Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him … Cease from anger, and forsake wrath ….” And the promise, “… the meek shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:3-11 NKJV).

 

Meekness is not the same thing as timidity. When Jesus quoted from Psalm 37 in the Beatitudes, he didn’t say, “Blessed are the timid” or “Blessed are the shy” or “Blessed are the reticent.” And he certainly did not say, “Blessed are the weak.” Some who are reading these words may naturally be timid, shy, and reticent. You are what you are. Jesus was not being critical of those characteristics. He was establishing a biblical principle. Various versions of the Bible interchangeably use the words “meek” and “gentle.” For example, the word “meekness” in Galatians 5:23 (KJV) is translated “gentleness” in the NIV and NLT. An interesting thing to note is that only two persons in the Bible are referred to as being “meek”—Moses and Jesus. No one would ever say these men were timid, shy, reticent, or weak. But they were meek—in a strong kind of way. One scholar has defined meekness as “strength with a tender touch.” Another has said that meekness is “strength that is submitted to an appropriate authority.”

 

Let me illustrate. When you think of an elephant, do you picture in your mind a huge, slow-moving mammal that cannot jump or gallop? You would be correct. But I picture an animal that is very strong. The elephant can move almost any “thing” that gets in its way. But these giants can be gentle, too, especially if they are trained to be gentle from birth. They have “strength” coupled with precise control. One writer observed that the elephant’s trunk has more than 40,000 individual muscles and is strong enough to pick up a man or animal, and even pull over a tree. But at the same time the elephant’s trunk is sensitive enough to pick up a single blade of grass!

 

Meekness is like that—strong, and gentle. But there is a difference between gentleness and meekness. Gentleness refers primarily to actions, while meekness refers primarily to attitudes—a person’s state of mind that leads to behavior. It may be said that meekness leads to gentleness, in the same way that arrogance leads to domination. My goal is to be strong, but also gentle. Like Jesus.

 

“If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” —William Penn