Humble and Inherit

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

HUMBLE AND  INHERIT

Matt 5:5

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

NIV

A better word here is happy is the humble as meek seems to us to imply a milli-mouse type of character, and this is not what Jesus was saying. The Greek word means to be gentle or humble in heart. Jesus said that we should learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart. James tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Both James and Peter make the statement that we should humble ourselves before the Lord and He will lift us up. There are the opposites shown to us here. We can be either proud or humble and it has everything to do with how we interact with the Lord. Of course, we also can be prideful before men or humble ourselves before God and men. Peter tells us to live in harmony with one another by being sympathetic, loving as bothers, being compassionate, and humble. He continues to say that we should not repay evil with evil, which is not to seek revenge or have that get even attitude. Still, the way to be happy is to humble ourselves before the Lord. To know that we are his creation and that we were created for him and for his purpose. Granted the earth will be our inheritance, but not as it is now. There are some who see this as the land which would imply that Jesus meant the Jews would inherit the land of Israel, but they already had this land. Many years ago, Joshua led them across the Jordan and the Lord went before them and they took the land away from giants. Plus, if this was what Jesus meant, then the beatitudes were just for the Jews, and we should not pay any attention to them at all. However, we know that is not true and these words of Jesus as well as all scripture is profitable for correcting, rebuking, teaching, and training us in righteousness. So, then this earth that we who have learned to humble ourselves, to be meek in heart, not given to anger, not given to revenge, but at the same time, not cowardice or having meanness. Being humble of heart also does not mean surrendering our rights. However, as we do see ourselves in the right place with the Lord, we will see a new heaven and the new earth and live in this new City of Jerusalem. This is what we will inherit because we have humbled ourselves before our Lord. We have to admit that without Him we can do nothing, that He is the source of life itself.