What does it mean to be meek?

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." - Matthew 5:6

In our modern times the word 'Meek' has sadly come to mean: A doormat. Or someone who is spineless, or subservient or even passive. But surely it means more than this? 

It was Aristotle who used the Greek word ‘praus’ (from which we get the word meekness) to describe the happy medium between ‘extreme anger’ and ‘being excessively passive.” He had the habit of defining every virtue by comparing 2 extremes and then resting in the middle of the two in a ‘happy medium.”   

So then, we could paraphrase Matthew 5:6 with these words: “Blessed is the person who is always angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time.”

The other usage of the word ‘praus’ is the same as to speak of an animal that has been domesticated - for example, think of a Stallion. It is an animal that has learnt to accept control from its owner, but it also has the power to cause harm if let loose. 

I guess, the main idea behind the word “meek” was strength under control - so, it is therefore not ‘weaknesses at all.

Thought: How does this sit with you? Do you find it easy to find this perfect balance?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Being intentional about this important aspect of our lives

How many times have you recently thought to yourself: "I am tired. I need to get some rest. I feel drained." If you have experienced these feelings and emotions, then I ask another question: "have you managed to find a gap to restore your soul?"

When Jesus was constantly in the public arena and ministering to the crowds, he felt the same as we often feel. He was tired and needed time to recoup and regain his inner strength. Even in the midst of the demands, he made time to withdraw, even if it was for a short time.

45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. (Mark 6)

The people that Jesus sent home were the 5000 that he had just fed - that is a lot of people to send packing. However, Jesus did this graciously and knew that without taking care of his own soul, he would have nothing to give the people in the future. This is such a hard practise for us to get right, but something that it well worth us being intentional about.

Vane Havner once said: If you don’t come apart and rest, you will come apart.”

If you would like to read another similar post on this topic, please re-read the post from last week. For some reason, this post was 'taken down' by Facebook and so many haven't been able to read it. I think it was due to the name of the energy drink I mentioned in the title :)

Living in grace

D3LM3

The Juggler

The world record for juggling stands at 14 balls at one time and is held by Alex Barron. If you want to watch him breaking the record you can click on this link. So, why am I talking about juggling on this blog? Well, I feel it has a lot to say to many of us at the moment and I am including myself in this group.

What are you juggling at the moment? Are you feeling a little overwhelmed with all the balls in the air? I know that I have felt a little overawed at times. It just seems that the more balls one has in the air, the more we are tempted to add others to the game. However, the odds are always going to be stacked against us - the more we try to juggle, the greater chance there is of us letting the balls drop. So, what is the solution? 

Well, we would be wise to listen to the words of Jesus. He spoke to a different generation, but his words are still very relevant for us all.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6)

What are you juggling at the moment?

What things are perhaps being dropped or neglected?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Striking a balance

This verse has always been an intriguing verse for me - I have used it at many youth talks and confirmation services in the past. One of the things that Solomon manages to hold in balance is the notion to 'enjoy your youth', but also remember that you will give an account for everything you do. Read what he says: 

"You who are young, be happy while you are young,

 and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment." - Ecclesiastes 11:9

There is a quote from Augustine that ties in with this scripture in some way, although it can be quoted out of context on occasion. Augustine wrote:

"Once for all, then, a short precept is given thee: Love, and do what thou wilt: whether thou hold thy peace, through love hold thy peace; whether thou cry out, through love cry out; whether thou correct, through love correct; whether thou spare, through love do thou spare: let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good."

The part I have underlined is the part that is quoted as "Love God and do what you like!" Obviously, this is a dangerous thought if not tethered to some core foundation. I think that both Solomon and Augustine understood that if a believer loved God with heart, soul, mind and strength, that their actions would seek to please God in any case - therefore we should be at peace about our actions. 

How do you feel about these quotes today? Worth a little reflection I think.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Why do you work so hard?

Today's reading leaves me with a huge dilemma and it involves how hard we work. Let's see what it says first:

"Nothing that I had worked for and earned meant a thing to me, because I knew that I would have to leave it to my successor, and he might be wise, or he might be foolish—who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless. So I came to regret that I had worked so hard." - Ecclesiastes 2:18-20

At a glance we see that Solomon is concerned that his years of hard labour, grinding effort and sacrifices are going to be handed over to his children and he is not sure if they will appreciate those gifts. In the end, he has no control over how they will react when he has passed on, but I guess he does have another option. That option is to instruct his kids in the best way possible and to trust that they will appreciate his inheritance and the legacy he leaves. 

Of course there is no guarantee of this and history tells us that his son (and successor) Rehoboam wasn't well received by the people of Israel. In fact, 10 out of the 12 tribes refused to accept him as their king and so he only ruled over the Kingdom of Judah (or the Southern King). 

I am a little uncomfortable with the last part of today's reading where he says: "I came to regret that I had worked so hard." The reason I am uncomfortable is more along the lines of finding a balance. It is TRUE that we should never make work our Idol and pursue our careers at the cost of family and other important values. However, there is also merit in working our best/hardest, as if we are working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). 

What do you think? Or am I perhaps just over-analysing Solomon's point?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A fine balance

"No one has ever fallen so grievously that he may not rise again. Conversely, no one stands so firmly that he may not fall. If Peter (and Paul and Barnabas) fell, I too may fall. If they rose again, I too may rise again."  - Martin Luther. 

This quote from Martin Luther offers us 2 important insights:

1. Even if we fail, we can get up again and carry on. As I was saying in yesterday's post, no failure needs to be final!

2. We should always remain HUMBLE, because we all can make a mistake. It only takes a second to fall off the tight rope - it only takes a second to let Jesus down and to regret that for a long time.

I am very thankful for the examples of people in the Bible who have fallen, but who have then risen again and proved to be Godly men and women. 

May God help us to walk through life finely balanced!

Psalm 40:2 - "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Keep moving

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein

As we prepare ourselves for the start of another new term, it is important to try and take stock of where we are at in our Christian walk. Taking stock is a key spiritual discipline, but we also have to keep moving forward (as Einstein says) so that we maintain some balance.

As we begin a new month may we move forward with the Grace of God upon us and the strength of the Spirit within us. Keep walking with God by your side.

Job 17:9 - "...the righteous shall move onward and forward; those with pure hearts shall become stronger and stronger."

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A Juggling act

Life is sometimes far too busy! It is like a juggling act. You have 9 or 10 things going on at the same time and you wonder if you are actually going to be able to keep them "up in the air" (apparently the maximum number of balls that a person can juggle is 12).

In truth, we can't juggle them all! Sure, we can juggle a few things, but as soon as we pass a critical number of balls in the air, it is only a matter of time before we drop one of them.

I am finding this to be true in my life at the moment. It is hard to say 'No!' It is hard to maintain the juggling act, when other things keep getting added to the routine. I guess, that in the end, we have to the ones to make the call - we have to say 'STOP!'

So, what are you juggling at the moment? Do you have too many balls in the air at the moment? Which one is going to get dropped and is that going to be costly?

“The trick to juggling is determining which balls are made of rubber and which ones are made of glass.” - Anon

Luke 7:31 - “How can I account for the people of this generation? They’re like spoiled children complaining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk but you were always too busy.’

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A full plate

Sometimes we just have too much on our plates - as the saying goes, "we have a full plate!"
Of course, this idiom could be referring to actual food on our plates, but for most of us it applies to the busy lives that we lead. We have so many things to do, that we wonder if we will ever get through the long list.

Of course, we easily justify that being busy is much better than being lazy or ill-disciplined.  However, we need to find a healthy balance in all things. Being idle is not godly, but neither is being too busy. It is a fine line to walk and often I don't get it right. I am not sure about you?

How is your schedule looking at the moment? If you are feeling overwhelmed then perhaps you need to plan a little time away from the rush of life and to ask God to help you to get back into balance.

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." -Thomas Merton

1 Timothy 5:13 -  "Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to."

Living in Grace
D3LM3