The Fruit of The Spirit - Meekness.
Welcome back to my blog. Today, we are looking at the eighth characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit which is meekness!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” - Galatians 5:22-26.
- We learn more about the fruit of the Spirit in this scripture. We learn that there is not just one characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit, but we learn there are quite a few characteristics. It may seem overbearing, but once you are able to master one fruit of the Spirit, the other characteristics will fall into place naturally as The Holy Spirit leads us and works through us. I believe this is why the word ‘fruit’ was used and not ‘fruits’ because once you have one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, you will be able to access and exhibit the other characteristics also because they work together.
- It becomes up to you to continuously nurture the fruit of the Spirit and to try not to do anything opposing God’s word that may cause you to not exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Dying to self daily, seeking God’s face and genuinely striving to have a closer walk with God will help you along the way. With that said we are all human beings and we all have the tendency to slip up at times, but because of God’s grace and mercy we can come to Him with a repentant heart. However, we must be sincere and know that we have the assurance that our Father in heaven will forgive us our trespasses, so long as we forgive those who trespass against us.
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” - Ephesians 5:8-10.
We no longer walk in darkness, we walk in the light because we know that we are children of the most High. There is a high calling on our lives where we can walk with our head held high knowing that we are loved and have been redeemed by our Saviour. Walking in the light means that we no longer cling to who we once were, words we once said or things we once did. We walk differently because we strive to make our Father proud. We care little of what the world says and more about what God says. The love He has for us is one we can search the world for, but we will not be able to find such because God loves us differently!
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Meekness is an important characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit just like the other 9 characteristics. In the sermon on the mount Jesus said,
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” - Matthew 5:5.
What did Jesus mean and why is it important to be meek?
Firstly, let’s define the word meekness.
meekness /ˈmiːknəs/
noun
the fact or condition of being meek; submissiveness.
Definition from Oxford Languages.
Now that you have the dictionary definition, let’s further explore what Jesus meant in the above scripture.
To be submissive to God means to follow His commandments and to submit yourself to God; obeying His instructions and following His word. Being led by your Heavenly Father and not doing things your way. Waiting for His direction and listening to His guidance.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” - Proverbs 3:5-7.
Clothing yourself in meekness also relates to being gentle, responding with a soft answer and exhibiting patience. Not being arrogant, proud or boastful, but being humble.
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger.” - Proverbs 15:1.
Psalm 37 describes why we should not worry about those who do wrong because God has His own way of dealing with them. We are not called to repay evil with evil. The Lord states vengeance belongs to Him. It also further supports what Jesus said in the Beatitudes and in particular Matthew 5:5 mentioned above.
“But the meek shall inherit the earth; And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” - Psalm 37:11.
Why will the meek inherit the world?
The meek are the ones who shall inherit the earth because they are not proud or boastful. They humble themselves before the Lord and submit to His calling on their lives. They live to serve God and they love Him with all their heart. There is no pretence with them. The Lord looks at every individual heart and He knows the condition of it. Nobody can pretend to be something they are not with God because He sees and knows all.
As the meek submit to God, God will continue to develop their personal attributes and strengthen them. Though they may encounter hardship and suffering, they will stand steadfast whilst trusting in God’s ability to deliver them. Through their difficulties they shall be made strong.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Meek people strive to help not just themselves and their loved ones, but those who are in need. They are humble and seek to be kind to all they encounter. They do not always talk about their many assets or their achievements, they do their part to advance God’s kingdom without bragging. God does not like the proud.
“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” - Proverbs 16:5.
Here are some more scriptures regarding meekness:
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, Holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” - Colossians 3:12-17.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” - 1 Timothy 6:11-12.
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” - 2 Timothy 2:24-25.
“The meek will He guide in judgment: And the meek will He teach His way.” - Psalm 25:9.
How can you clothe yourself with meekness?
Reflect on 2 Corinthians 12:9 Mama, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..’ God will strengthen you and continue to work on you. God’s grace will always be sufficient for you. He does not expect perfection Mama because you are a human being, but He does require a willing, submissive heart. Allow Him to cleanse your heart as He continues to beautify you from the inside.
Be of good courage Mamas.
I encourage you all to walk with peace in your hearts, know the truth and share the gospel with others.
Did you find any scriptures on meekness that you would like to share?
What are your thoughts on the following? Comment down below and let’s talk!
1. Which verses stuck out to you?
2. Why do you think clothing yourself in meekness is so important?
3. How do you display meekness?
4. Why can being proud be a hinderance?
5. Why is it important to be meek even if others are not?
With Love,
Roxanne-Sasha x
