MEEKNESS! WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Quite a while back,someone asked me what my thoughts were on the meaning of the word "meek". There are many who are under the misconception that it means "to make a doormat of oneself" or to allow oneself to be dominated. Huh!! It is a word that in some human minds has taken on a meaning that is quite distorted. We cannot even take a stand for our Lord if those meanings were true. To me ,meekness just means applying self control when we stand in an assertive yet gentle manner in our beliefs when faced with opposition. Sometimes it even means to agree to disagree with the other party left at least knowing where you stand on any issie and leaves no room to wonder. I found this article that probably explains it better than my own clumsy words.
Lord bless you all this day that the Lord has given!




>WRITTEN BY GRADY SCOTT
That is the opinion many people have of meekness. They think that Jesus must have meant this when he said that the meek were blessed (happy). What was Jesus speaking of?
I. A MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT MEEKNESS.
A. Many equate Meekness with weakness.
1. Many associate meekness with an attitude of allowing everyone to run over you because you are afraid of them.
2. This is not meekness. In fact, some of the strongest men who have ever lived have been meek.
B. Look at a list of some people that the Bible says were meek and see the fallacy of such thought.
1. Moses was a great leader. He stood up to the most powerful leader in the world, Pharaoh Ramses. He led God’s people through the wilderness to the border of the promised land.
a. Numbers 12:3 - “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”
2. Jesus could stand up to the winds and the waves. He also chased the moneychangers out of the temple twice with a whip made out of chords.
a. 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.”
II. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE MEEK?
A. An understanding of the root definition of meek in the original language and how it was used will help us in understanding what Jesus meant.
1. Greek word praus
a. Used to describe a soothing medicine.
b. Used by sailors to describe a gentle breeze.
c. Used by farmers to describe a broken colt.
2. What do all these definitions have in common? They all describe great power under control.
B. A good working definition of biblical meekness.
1. Strength under control.
2. Some Bible passages that illustrate this definition.
a. Matthew 11:28, 29 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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."
i. Just as Jesus the all-powerful took upon himself the yoke of earthly obedience to His Father, so too does Jesus call on us to take on the yoke of submission to His will.
b. Ephesians 4:1,2 - "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;"
i. Meekness means walking according to the precepts of our vocation and controlling our attitudes toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.
c. Colossians 3:12 - "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;"
i. A look at the context of this chapter shows that we are to bury the old man (submit to God) and forebear and forgive one another.
3. Thus meekness is curbing the "natural" desires to rebel, fight, have our own way, push ourselves forward, etc. We submit to the Lord in obedience to His will