A Better Way To Inherit the Earth
It
has been the goal of dictators and despots for millennia. Having conquered
their home base, they seek to go further afield. Whether Alexander the Great,
Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler or a
cast of others, these hyper-ambitious megalomaniacs try to extend their
imperial reach worldwide but overextend themselves. Then they fail and fall,
bringing their empire crashing down with them.
Even
‘the beast’ in the Book of Revelation, also known as the antichrist, attempts
to rule the entire world. At first glance, it appears that he succeeds but if
so, his success is short-lived. Not only are there wars of rebellion against
him in the tribulation period, but antichrist will take one step too many and
end up losing his battle. His end is in the lake of fire.
Bible
students should know that the earth - all of it - belongs to God (Psalm 24:1).
Yet He also makes an amazing offer. To people who possess a certain character
quality, they can also inherit the earth.
What
is this quality? It is not ambition. It is not assertiveness. It is definitely
not arrogance. The dictators and despots mentioned above have plenty of all
these things, yet they failed every time. So what is the key.
Psalm
37:11 and Matthew 5:5 tell us: The meek shall inherit the earth.
Meekness Defined
Irony
of ironies. Meekness is actually the key to acquisition. Yet, before we
acquire, we need to understand what it really is. In the Bible, the Hebrew word
translated meek is anav, meaning poor, weak, afflicted. In Greek
it is praos, meaning ‘meek, mild, gentle.’ None of these
adjectives sound like the ingredients of inheriting the earth.
Yet
consider this: The man Moses was very meek, above all the men who were upon the
face of the earth (Numbers 12:3). Jesus Christ refers to Himself as meek (Matthew
11:29). So since Moses and Jesus were meek, did that mean they were also ‘weak?’
Not
at all. Indeed, no where did two men demonstrate more anointing and power than
Jesus and Moses Somehow, meekness is the pathway to power, a power that helps
you inherit the earth.
Let’s
then consider a description of true Biblical, earth-inheriting meekness: When a
person commits and submits to God, to the point that their own personal traits
and desires decrease and Christ-in-them, the hope of glory, increases, then
they begin to live by the power of God. In short, the meek are willing to
decrease so that Christ in them increases - thereby releasing power,
effectiveness and fruit.
If
you are a ‘Great Commission Christian’ - and you should be - committed to helping the gospel go
worldwide and raising up disciples of Jesus - then remember God’s way to
inherit the earth. Biblical meekness, possessing a sterling attitude, an
empowering grace, and a regal calm, will obtain for you that which has eluded
the worldly ambitious throughout human history. It truly is the ‘high road’ to
overcoming power, victory, and possessing your possession.
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