Meekness

Meekness is one of the hardest virtues to define. The Bible shows meekness to be strength, as the character of such people as Jesus and Moses shows.

Meekness is often confused with weakness and considered to be undesirable. But Jesus lists it as a primary virtue of one who will inherit His Kingdom.

Much has been said and written about leadership in the church in the past several years. David Maas writes that godly leadership is an outworking of the virtue of meekness.

Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the fiery, feisty, vindictive temperament of Andrew Jackson, and his response to Presbyterian minister Dr. Edgar's question about willingness to forgive enemies, asserts that forgiving one's enemies is a defining mark of a. . .

Jesus demonstrated His meekness in His treatment of many with whom He interacted. Balancing firmness and gentleness, He seeks to save rather than destroy.

Meekness is not the most sought after of character traits, but it is a necessary one for Christians. Edwin Pope defines meekness, giving three steps to developing it in our lives.

Ryan McClure, reflecting on the oft-repeated Rodney King quotation, "Can we all get along?" asks us how we are doing with our relationships, dealing with people with whom we find it difficult to get along. The Scriptures provide many examples of . . .

Martin Collins, citing a startling 700,000 assaults ("intimate partner violence" episodes) in 2001, accounting for 20% of felonious crime, suggests that patience and longsuffering are diminishing commodities in modern Israel, while selfishness an. . .

Pride distorts our view of reality and our relationships. Being humble is not for the faint of heart, but requires God's Spirit operating in our lives.

These days, it seems, everyone demands respect but few are willing to grant it to others. It is a rare event and often worthy of note when someone gives up his seat to a woman or elderly person or when a child responds with proper deference. Mike Ford anal. . .

Martin Collins, focusing upon the topic of unity, maintains that the church has been charged with the responsibility to bring unity to a hopelessly disunited, fragmented, and chaotic world. In order to maintain this unity, like the Ephesians, we must maint. . .

Martin Collins considers that if the Church of God is the Kingdom of God in embryo, we have a charge to learn how to teach. In the Millennium, we will teach the laws and ordinances. We will be kings and priests, responsible for those refugees coming out of. . .

Mercy is a virtue that has gone out of vogue, though it is sometimes admired. Jesus, however, places it among the most vital His followers should possess.

John Reid, reflecting upon our awesome calling, acknowledges that we have been base, ignoble, and far less than the cream of the crud. But Christ through His sacrifice and redemptive power has enabled us to be cleaned up and transformed or shaped into futu. . .

Jesus proved that one cannot become a leader through political intrigue, but by assuming the position of a humble servant. God sets Himself against the proud.

All four gospels include Zechariah's prophecy that Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. This misunderstood beast has a unique symbolic meaning.

John Ritenbaugh reiterates that not only should forgiveness be a daily activity, but that in order to be meek, we have to have an intimate relationship with God, accepting God's sovereignty in our lives. Pride, a product of self-centered judgment, destroys. . .

As we look at the insanity around us, we need to remember that our citizenship is in heaven. We cannot allow pride to draw us into the controversy before us.

Martin Collins suggests that pessimism or cynicism in the leadership or government of God is faithlessness. In the context of church authority, the emphasis is on persuasion not compulsion. We obey because we are convinced from the heart?conversion?rather . . .

Because of our lack of self-discipline and willingness to guard the truth, we have allowed our theological base to deteriorate under the persuasion of the world.

If we are not receiving God's correction or chastisement, we should be concerned! God's chastening is what He uses to sanctify His spiritual children.

Martin Collins, examining Paul's letter to Titus, focuses upon the last two chapters, emphasizing the importance of sound doctrine to neutralize the negative worldly aspects of Cretan culture and the attending heresies. The younger men were instructed to m. . .

Martin Collins, observing that despite such inane, politically correct slogans such as "unity through diversity," neither unity nor peace really exists in the world, but conflict has continued to increase. Though we are periodically confronted wi. . .

Genuine humility is one of the most elusive characteristics a person can attain. It consists of of self-respect accompanied by a genuine desire to serve.

In this sermon focusing on meekness and forgiveness, John Ritenbaugh indicates that when we are sinned against, our ego gets extremely strong and our emotions get muddled, making it difficult to give forgiveness. Because God is the Creator of everything, o. . .

Using the army boot camp analogy, Richard Ritenbaugh teaches that God places us through a similar humbling process, causing us to look at our sins in a spiritual mirror, contrasting our lives with the sinless life of Jesus Christ. In this process, we must . . .

What is it to be poor in spirit? This attribute is foundational to Christian living. Those who are truly poor in spirit are on the road to true spiritual riches.

Happiness is a by-product of our response to God's calling, coupled with our determination to connect with the Father, the Son, and the whole spiritual family.

The group that one fellowships with is less important than the understanding that there is one true church, bound by a spiritual, not a physical unity.

We limit God through our willful sin and disobedience, pride and self confidence, ignorance and blindness, and our fear of following Him.