In Habakkuk 2:4, the prophet declared, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.” Although this is the first time the principle is stated in these words, it is not new. It is as old as God’s dealings with man. The righteous have always and always will live by faith (Gal. 2:20). Therefore, it is important for us to understand faith, and how to develop a faith approach to living. The Beatitudes can help us because they give us basic information about the person who lives a life of faith. Let’s consider the third, which describes those who are meek (Matt. 5:5).
Remember, meekness follows the attitudes of being poor in spirit and mourning. Poor in spirit has to do with the realization that there is nothing to depend upon except God. Mourning has to do with what we discover about our personal sins and that of the world. Now, the meek are those who realize that we have nothing to fight the world with; nothing physical that overcomes it. Yes, we still have power; we can fight, rebel, stir up a fuss, but rather, now we bridle that power and use it under the direction of the God we acknowledge to be in control. Meekness is an essential quality that completely causes us to believe in, depend on, and obey God.
Does this mean we give up power to become meek? Does medicine give up power to cure the sick, or do we use it in a controlled way? Does the horse give up power when broken to its owner’s command, or is it used in a controlled way? In Matthew 11:29, our Lord described His own personal character with these words, “…I am meek [gentle] and lowly in heart…” As God in the flesh, think about all the power Jesus Christ possessed on earth. He could have destroyed the world to set him free. Yet, He chose to place His might under the control of the Father’s will. Therefore, in obedience to His gospel (2 Thess. 1:8), He calls everyone to Himself to learn from Him (Matt. 11:28) and imitate His meekness (1 Cor. 11:1; Rom. 8:29). As His chosen people, we are to put on and pursue a life characterized by meekness (Col. 3:5, 12; 1 Tim. 6:11), so that when we have the opportunity to teach lost souls the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16), we can do so in meekness (2 Tim. 2:24-25), not with arguing.
-John Garza