Refiner's Fire
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Posted: January 30, 2021
Author: Jessica Mudger Matthew 5:5, NIV “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” |
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According to Strong’s Concordance, meekness is translated from “praes” in the Greek. It refers to a mildness of disposition, and gentleness of spirit (Strong, James. The New Strong's Expanded Concordance of the Bible. Red Letter ed., Edmonds, Thomas Nelson, 2010.). Another word which may be more familiar is humble. Whether we label it meekness or humility, one thing is for sure: this quality is hard to come by these days. Meekness does not shout its opinion from the mountaintops; it allows its light to shine quietly by manner of action. Meekness does not push and shove its way to the front of the line, but happily stands at the end letting everyone else go first. Meekness does not rely on human performance to define success, but looks to God to judge whether His will is done.
When I think of meekness, there is a face that immediately pops to the front of my mind. Her name is Joann. She is an elder’s wife, mother of four strapping men, talented pianist, avid runner, and first grade teacher. In the twenty plus years I have known Joann, I have never once heard her raise her voice. At this juncture, I feel it important to point back to the sentence before last describing her many roles. Even in her times of great suffering, I have never seen her without a smile for me. At one point, an illness even wrought havoc on her voice, making teaching her first graders quite a challenge. However, by my own observation during many volunteer hours at the school, the only way her class could ever be described was as a pleasant little brood of diligent learners. How is this possible? Could it be that even children admire and respect meekness? Perhaps they believed that no one so gentle could possibly lead them astray, and therefore they trusted her completely. Of course, Joann would never admit to these accolades because that in itself would be contrary to her spirit.
Now that we have adequately established a frame of reference for the quality of meekness, we can discuss its benefits. The phrase “they will inherit the earth” obviously refers to the new earth, often referred to by believers as “heaven,” to be restored at the Second Coming of Christ. However, perhaps it also refers to our earth in its present state. Those unbound by the desire for wealth and status unlock access to God’s abundance. When we concern ourselves with serving others instead of protecting ourselves, we give God space to take care of us. When our loving God, who owns cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), sees His faithful children in need, will He not throw open the gates of heaven and shower blessings down on them? According to Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?”
Yet the point of meekness is not a guarantee that we will receive all that we need, but that we trust God’s goodness regardless of our obtaining it. In the eyes of a person who seeks nothing from this world, there is everything to gain. Such a person will be blessed abundantly even in the midst of poverty and suffering. They know that nothing this world has to offer can compare to the Glory of that which is to come.
Contrary to intuition, meekness is not something acquired by discipline and practice. To attempt to think of oneself less is a paradox: it is impossible to decide not to think of something because in order to begin you must first think of that which you wish to ignore. One must instead choose to fill his or her heart with the motive to love others more. This is only achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, one could claim credit towards the accomplishment, thus making humility obsolete. May the Lord empower us to be led by the Spirit in our service of Him by serving others, and somehow attain the virtue of the meek.
When I think of meekness, there is a face that immediately pops to the front of my mind. Her name is Joann. She is an elder’s wife, mother of four strapping men, talented pianist, avid runner, and first grade teacher. In the twenty plus years I have known Joann, I have never once heard her raise her voice. At this juncture, I feel it important to point back to the sentence before last describing her many roles. Even in her times of great suffering, I have never seen her without a smile for me. At one point, an illness even wrought havoc on her voice, making teaching her first graders quite a challenge. However, by my own observation during many volunteer hours at the school, the only way her class could ever be described was as a pleasant little brood of diligent learners. How is this possible? Could it be that even children admire and respect meekness? Perhaps they believed that no one so gentle could possibly lead them astray, and therefore they trusted her completely. Of course, Joann would never admit to these accolades because that in itself would be contrary to her spirit.
Now that we have adequately established a frame of reference for the quality of meekness, we can discuss its benefits. The phrase “they will inherit the earth” obviously refers to the new earth, often referred to by believers as “heaven,” to be restored at the Second Coming of Christ. However, perhaps it also refers to our earth in its present state. Those unbound by the desire for wealth and status unlock access to God’s abundance. When we concern ourselves with serving others instead of protecting ourselves, we give God space to take care of us. When our loving God, who owns cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), sees His faithful children in need, will He not throw open the gates of heaven and shower blessings down on them? According to Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?”
Yet the point of meekness is not a guarantee that we will receive all that we need, but that we trust God’s goodness regardless of our obtaining it. In the eyes of a person who seeks nothing from this world, there is everything to gain. Such a person will be blessed abundantly even in the midst of poverty and suffering. They know that nothing this world has to offer can compare to the Glory of that which is to come.
Contrary to intuition, meekness is not something acquired by discipline and practice. To attempt to think of oneself less is a paradox: it is impossible to decide not to think of something because in order to begin you must first think of that which you wish to ignore. One must instead choose to fill his or her heart with the motive to love others more. This is only achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, one could claim credit towards the accomplishment, thus making humility obsolete. May the Lord empower us to be led by the Spirit in our service of Him by serving others, and somehow attain the virtue of the meek.
