The Fruit of the Spirit: Meekness

Galatians 5:22-23

Have you ever eaten a green persimmon? Those things are so sour! If you ever eat one of those it makes your mouth feel like it has been turned inside out. The fruit in this picture is called "Miracle Fruit". This little berry will take the most sour or tart fruit and make it taste sweet! The nature of this fruit tames the harsh flavor of the other fruit. I think there might be a lesson in that.

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

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In the KJV, Numbers 12:3 say, "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth". If you think about that verse, and about all that Moses did, "meek" obviously cannot mean "weak". I heard a definition of this word that I REALLY like. Meek means "power under control". Yes, God used Moses to do some great miracles, but in his training alone, he was a powerhouse. He was very intelligent. He had been trained in the best schools of Egypt. He was also a trained warrior. He was trained in the best combat schools in Egypt. In Exodus 2:11-12, Moses killed an Egyptian with his bare hands. Then, he moved the body all by himself, without anyone noticing (or so he thought) and buried the body by himself. That is no small feat.

After spending time as a shepherd, he learned to control that temper. God's calling on his life increased that control as Moses walked with God daily. Moses did not give up his power (strength and ability), but rather learned to control it. God did not need his strength. God did not need his fighting ability. God wanted his faithfulness and obedience. There were a lot of opportunities for Moses to flex or boast, but he didn't. He was in control.

God gives each of us different strengths and abilities. What He does not want is our raw strength or ability wreaking havoc in the church. He does not want us acting in our own strength. He wants us controlled. We are not to be in control of ourselves, but rather we are to turn control over to Him. That is true meekness. Then, He will use the strength and ability He gave us to accomplish His will. That is a beautiful thing.

An even better example than Moses is Jesus. Jesus had all the power in the universe. Yet, He controlled it and used very little of that power during His lifetime. One day, He will speak and every dead person will arise from their grave. One day, He will speak and every living person who is rebelling against Him will die. One day He will speak and the whole of creation will be destroyed, except the redeemed, and He will instantaneously create a new heaven and a new earth. All that power, but He kept it in control and surrendered to evil men to die on the cross. That is meekness.

God wants to use your strengths and your weaknesses. However, He wants you to surrender them to Him. There is no room for Christians to slug it out with anyone because of a disagreement. God does not want you flipping tables simply because you do not agree with someone. While people may fear us and they may stay out of our way, that does not demonstrate the love of Christ. Surrender control to Him today.

Father, so often we want to say "Look at what I did". You see it, but You are not nearly as proud of our mess as we are. Help us to surrender all of ourselves to You so that You will be glorified. Use our strengths that You gave us. Also use our weaknesses so that we can give glory to no one but You. Help us to be meek like Jesus and Moses.