OceanSide church of Christ

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Understanding Meekness
by: Dalton Gilreath

In our society, meekness has come to be almost synonymous with weakness. However, biblically, meekness has always been best understood as strength—not just any type of brute strength, but rather strength under control. Submitting to all of the authorities God has asked us to—our elders, the government, our husbands, God etc—is a sign of meekness. It takes great strength and self-control to be submissive. It is easier to be self-willed and do whatever we want or think is best than to have the spirit of meekness is regarding others as our authority and actually obeying them.

It is also closely related to gentleness or humility and patience, in that being meek involves putting others above oneself, and being gentle and patient with them. Meekness is often mentioned in this way when describing our attitude when talking to others about Biblical topics.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness (Gal 6:1a).

Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Pet 3:15b.)

When we are giving our answer for why we do things the way we do according to the Bible or when we are going to others to discuss their sin, we are called to be meek. We are not called to laugh or scoff at the beliefs of others, but rather approach these topics with patience, gentleness and humility. This can be difficult at times when we might think something sounds so “ridiculous” or when we get so frustrated, but Jesus is not asking us to be anything that He was not as He also describes Himself as “meek and lowly” (Matt 11:29).

 

Unfortunately, this can be a difficult task for prideful man. How can I consider a person who is not well-off financially as more important than myself? Or how can I consider a person who isn’t as talented or involved as being more significant than me? The best answer to this question comes in the form of another question. How do I compare to Jesus? When we consider how we compare to our Lord we ought to be ashamed to have ever looked down upon another soul. Jesus put everyone above Himself, and the Spirit instructs us to have that same mind within each of us (Phil 2:5). After all, Christ’s superiority in comparison to the greatest man alive is a far greater span than our importance over the lowest man alive.

What would it mean for the church today if every Christian embodied a heart of meekness? The sick and shut-ins would always be cared for as they would be on the forefront of our minds. No brother or sister would bear burdens alone. Attendance would always be at a record high as everyone provoked one another to love and good works (Heb 10:24). Scruples and opinions would be pushed aside as others were put first in the conversations. Even gossip would be unheard of and forgiveness rampant as brethren always brought their troubles to one another and laid them aside with a forgiving heart. How can we make OceanSide a better church of our Lord? For starters, let’s be a people who recognize the importance of meekness.