Matthew 5:5 – The Meek

Matthew 5:5
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

 -The word “meek” used here in Matthew 5 is the Greek word “praus” and carries with it the idea of a wild horse that has been tamed.  This imagery is important because meekness in our modern society is often dismissed as a weakness, but that could not be further from the truth.  Consider how fearsome a wild horse can be; now realize that a tamed horse still possesses the same might and fearsomeness, but that horse has chosen to obey the will of its master.  We can apply the same logic to those who are led by the Holy Spirit.  We still have the same angry, vengeful human nature, but we choose to act against that nature in favor of Christ’s Divine influence.  Meekness is the power to act coupled with the discipline not to and that discipline can only come from the Lord.  

Psalm 107 – Praise the Lord!

Psalm 107:8
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:15
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:21
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:31
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Four times in this Psalm the Bible implores mankind to praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works.  This is not unique to this Psalm either as the whole of scripture continuously reinforces the idea of magnifying the Lord.  How often in Church, Sunday School, or your own bible study does the Word of God attest to the Lord’s greatness?  How often in our everyday lives do we see the evidence of that greatness?  Now, out of all that, how often do we actually render unto the Lord the praise that He deserves?  If we are honest with ourselves, I believe we would say not very often.  Why is that?  Is there something wrong with our God, or is there something wrong with us?

Matthew 5:17-20 – Righteousness in the Heart

Matthew 5:17-20
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

-In order to inherit the Kingdom of God, our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.  What did Jesus mean by this?  Consider His appraisal of the Scribes and Pharisees in some of their other encounters and we’ll get the proper perspective.  In speaking to these groups in Matthew 27:27-28, Jesus proclaimed, “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”   Despite their apparent holiness, the Scribes and Pharisees had nothing but an outward appearance, a show of piety.  A show of piety cannot inherit the Kingdom of God and so we must do better.  Righteousness must go beyond our countenance or presentation and be manifested in our hearts.  How do we manifest a righteous heart?  We cannot.  “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).  “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

1 Peter 3:15 – Meekness and Fear

1 Peter 3:15
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and 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:

Be ready to tell everyone about the Lord is what this verse teaches us in a nutshell.  It makes sense that we should do that with meekness, but with fear also?  The world often has trouble understanding why a loving God would need to be met with fear.  Think about the people you respect the most: a father, a grandmother, a coach.  Isn’t there often fear wrapped up in your relationship with that person?  You fear their authority and even more than that, you fear the idea of disappointing the person who has earned your love and respect.  The fear doesn’t contradict the love, it enhances it.  When we realize that the person we fear is also the person who is looking out for us and wants us to succeed, that’s love.  When we inevitably do disappoint that person and they still care for us afterwards, that’s love.  It’s the same principle with God.  We should fear His power and fear disappointing Him, but when we realize He’s the One who is looking out for us (Psalm 32:8) and wants us to succeed (Jeremiah 29:11), that’s love.

Matthew 14:25-31 – Lord, Save Me!

Matthew 14:25-31
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
 
What do you think it felt like for Peter as he began to sink into the water?  In the moments he had to process what was happening, I imagine he felt completely out of control and certain that he was about to be swallowed whole which probably led to panic.  I say panic because the Bible tells us elsewhere that Peter is a fisherman and a swimmer (John 21:7), but at this moment Peter seems to forget that.  Have you ever felt this way in life?  Like you were completely out of control and at the mercy of events which threatened to consume you?  Notice Peter’s reaction: he forgot that he could swim but he remembered Jesus.  This probably came much easier to Peter because he had been focusing on drawing close to the Lord before things started to go badly for him.  I’m not saying the Lord can’t help someone whose heart is not fixed on Him. I am saying that only by fixing our hearts on Him will our natural reaction to trouble be to say, “Lord, save me!”

Philippians 2:12 – Much More In My Absence…

Philippians 2:12
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

How many of us only work hard when we know someone is watching?  Even the most diligent workers tend to work a little harder when someone is over their shoulder.  Notice how Paul’s admonition to the Church of Philippi contrasts such wisdom.  Paul instructs the church that as faithful and obedient as they were when he was around, they should be even more so after he is gone.  It is said that character is defined by how we act when no one is watching.  How many of us will be ashamed one day when God gives the record of our activities when we thought no one was watching?  Even when there is truly no one else around, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known” (Luke 12:2).

1 Samuel 17:40 – Five Stones

1 Samuel 17:40
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
 
Why did David choose five stones when there was only one giant?  The most obvious answer involves numerology.  In the Bible, 5 is the number of grace and only by God’s grace we can overcome the Goliaths in our lives.  There is another lesson that I want to point out, however.  The Holy Spirit is teaching us that no matter how big a challenge we may face on a given day, there will always be more obstacles and more battles down the road.  David chose five stones so after he beat Goliath, he had four left.  David knew that there would be more “Goliaths” in his life.  But, just as with the first stone, he also knew that God would be with him when he needed to use the remaining four.

Psalm 63:3 – Better Than Life

Psalm 63:3
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Such words could easily be dismissed as empty flattery, but consider David’s circumstances as he wrote Psalm 63.  He was hiding in the wilderness, most likely fleeing from his son Absalom who had usurped the throne (2 Samuel 15).  His life was turned upside down.  He had no home, no guarantee of survival, and acknowledged that it was all a result of his own sin.  With all that in mind, David had no way of knowing that this wasn’t the end of his life.  It is in such moments, moments where the fleetingness of life becomes tangible, that priorities are weighed and the things that matter the most become evident.  In David’s case, the Lord’s love and mercy meant more to him than his own life and so he could still offer praise.  I wonder if the end of our life was near, what would our priorities be?

John 19:30 – It Is Finished

John 19:30
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Providing salvation for every soul that has ever existed; a task so monumental that only one Being could take it on and that is the Lord Himself (Isaiah 59:16). If Jesus had given up, given out, or changed His mind at any point, we would all go to Hell.  But Jesus did not quit even though the powers of darkness and even His own people were against Him.  Jesus did not die even though the life was beaten out of Him.  Jesus did not stop until it was finished.  No one ever has to stand before Him and say, “I tried but I couldn’t finish it.”  Instead, whosoever will, can come before Him and say, “Thank you for finishing it, because I couldn’t have!”

Ephesians 6:10-15 – Sure Footing

Ephesians 6:10-15
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

-After a warning to be strong in the Lord, and then describing the various pieces of spiritual armor to which we have access, Paul tells us to protect our feet with “the preparation for the gospel of peace.”  Does this piece of armor seem out of place to you?  Defending yourself with the Gospel of Peace may not sound like the best strategy in times of war, so why do you think it’s mentioned here?  Consider the time period in which Paul is speaking.  In his day, Roman soldiers wore armored shoes with cleats to maintain sure footing in battle.  In like fashion, if we are going to fight in God’s army, we must have sure footing on solid ground.  There is no ground more solid than the Gospel of Jesus Christ and no surer place to stand than on “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).