Meekness

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My spiritual word this year is Meekness.  One of the fruits of the Spirit along with a quality mentioned in the Beatitudes will be my focus this year.  This is a very big word for God to place on my heart.  I have no clue where this will lead this year, but He has said it and I am following.  As I have started my research on meekness, I am soberly aware that this is a fruit of the Spirit I am not walking in.  The Lord's idea of meekness and our society's understanding of meekness are at extreme opposite ends.  The Lord says that the meek will inherit the earth, vastly different from our thoughts of people who are meek.  Kay Arthur confirmed this word to me through her book.  The Holy Spirit quickened it to my spirit.

Does meekness connect to "spunk"?  I am starting to see the two are meant to be products of the other.  True meekness brings a "childlike" faith of releasing things to a Sovereign God, which allows our outward self to skip in "childlike" faith.  Meekness brings confidence in God's plans and releases worry, frustation, disobedience and striving...once again allowing us to embrace the "spunkiness" of life.

My journey into meekness has only began...below is the starting line.  Since it is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, I am praying the Holy Spirit will bring meekness and the understanding of meekness into my life this year.

• Moses was meek - Numbers 12:3 "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth."
• Zeph. 2:3 - "Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger."  
• Is. 29:19 - "The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel."  (notice the meek will obtain fresh joy!!!) 
• Ps. 37:11 - "But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace."

Surely our understanding of this remarkable characteristic must be askew! Bible commentators generally agree that modern man, living in our Western, Judeo-Christian cultures, lacks this godly attribute. Meekness, being a fruit of the Spirit, is an attribute of God Almighty Himself and important to our being in His image and a true witness. Indeed, this characteristic will largely determine how much peace and contentment are in our lives and how well we do during trials.

Meekness is what results when one's spiritual knowledge, understanding and passions are in right balance.

This is very important regarding trials because meekness is the opposite of self-will toward God and of ill-will toward men. In his commentary on Matthew 5:5, Matthew Henry writes, "The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to his word and to his rod, who follow His directions, and comply with His designs, and are gentle towards all men" (p. 1629).

Meekness is the fruit of God by His Spirit working in us. Godly sorrow softens our stiff-necked rebellion in our hearts so that we are made receptive to the workings of the Creator to produce His image in us. Therefore meekness, along with the qualities already mentioned, also includes our becoming pliable, malleable, submissive and teachable. A New Testament term for this condition might be "childlike."

This is not a virtue to ignore because carnal men consider it weakness. It may appear to them as weakness, but the spiritual reality is that it is great strength, an attribute of Almighty God and a fruit of His Spirit we greatly need.

Read more: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/PERSONAL/k/237/The-Fruit-of-Spirit-Meekness.htm#ixzz1inzRr35l

This year will be exciting to see what God does in my life in the area of meekness.