The Fruit of Meekness and Humility 

We live in the midst of a world that teaches that "only the strong survive"; "the survival of the fittest"; that to be a success in this life we must be aggressive, self-aggrandizing, overbearing, competitive, domineering and even cut-throat. 

The media and advertising industries use their actors and actresses to portray that the proud, haughty, self-willed, egotistic men and women are those we should look up to as examples of how we can become successful and important people in our society. If we want to be successful and important like they are, they imply that we should live as they live and that we should behave as they do to get ahead in this world and to get what we want from others.

But what does the Bible say about how we should live? An Old Testament prophet once asked that question and recorded it in Scripture for us. 

In Micah 6:6, Micah asks God  "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?" [How do I show reverence and live my life before God?] 

Micah then asks a set of hypothetical questions that are very exaggerated (he uses a hyperbole figure of speech) to make a point.

Micah 6:6......shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

None of these things is what God requires, but He does instruct us on how He wants us to walk before Him.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

This week we are studying the eighth fruit of the Spirit called "Meekness."

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit; a quality that we must possess if we are being led by the Spirit and if we are walking in the Spirit. To enter the Kingdom of God, we must have this necessary virtue as well as all the other fruits of the Spirit. It can only be imparted to us by the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit and God's Spirit is given only to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32).

What is it like to be meek? We know that Moses was called "very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth"(Numbers 12:3).

And Jesus was very meek, He said... "I am meek and lowly in heart..." (Matthew 11:29)

The Greek word for meekness used in Galatians 5 is prautés (Strong's #4240) and means; mildness, i.e. (by implication) humility - meekness.

Meekness as used in the Bible is extremely difficult to translate into modern English, because we think "meek" implies weakness. Sometimes it is translated "gentleness," but that also implies weakness in our modern usage.

The best way to know the meaning of a Biblical word is to study verses in the Bible where it is exemplified. As we do, we will come to see that meekness is an spirit or quality of heart, an attitude whereby a person willingly accepts and submits without resistance to the will and desires of someone else.

1st Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

We can know from this verse that to have a meek and quiet spirit is very pleasing to God and He values it highly in a person.

A meek person is not self-seeking, is not self-willed, not continually concerned about himself, his own wishes, ideas, and ways of doing things or opinions. He is willing to put others before himself and submit himself to achieve what is good for others.

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

The Hebrew word for Humility is anavah (Strong's #6038) and is an attitude or quality of mind whereby a person holds low esteem or opinion of his own goodness and importance; the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people; the quality or state of being humble.

Spiritually, a humble person abases himself because he acknowledges his own sinfulness and weaknesses, therefore he is willing to depend on God to meet His needs. It is the opposite of pride, arrogance, haughtiness, and self-exaltation.

Paul teaches us to be followers of him as he followed Christ. (1st Corinthians 11:1).  Paul described himself as serving the Lord with all humility:

Acts 20:19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

Jesus Christ who was the Creator of mankind and also of heaven and earth, humbled Himself to come down to live as a man in the flesh, and by doing so, chose to become a servant to all mankind. To be humble is to serve.

Philippians 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Peter tells of our Lord and Savior's example of meekness that we might follow in His steps:

1st Peter 2: 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.

Jesus Christ and His servant Moses were two of the most meekest and yet greatest men who ever lived. They are examples of meekness and humility that we can aspire to be like; and if we seek to be like them we need to possess these two qualities that they had. Earlier this year we studied the beatitudes in Matthew 5, in which meekness was one of them. We are blessed [or happy] if we have the beatitude of meekness as we learned a couple of months ago.

One Must have Meekness and Humility Toward God

In God's Word, meekness and being humble should be first shown as submissiveness toward God, then second toward men. As Scriptures instructs us, meekness and humility toward God require that we recognize our sinfulness and our dependence on God's mercy and empowerment.

Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

The Publican who pleaded for God's mercy admitted that he was a sinner. The Pharisee could only see his self-righteousness and none of his own sins. He compared himself to others and thought of himself as better and more righteous because he was not an extortioner, adulterer, or unjust, yet he was full of arrogance, pride, self-aggrandizement and competition as he compared himself to others that he looked down on. 

The Pharasee could not see that all people are sinners including himself. None of us have the right to look down on anyone else by thinking that we have no sin but that others do. The Publican is our example of how we humble ourselves, reconizing our sinful natures and calling on God to forgive us. How grateful we can be that we have a High Priest that we can go to and ask forgiveness and if we repent He will cover our sins with His sacrifice.

1st John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

If we say we have not sinned, or think of ourselves as being above other sinners, we are liars. We are all sinners and often need God's forgiveness. He is faithful to forgive us and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness; we just need to humbly ask for His mercy just like the Publican with sincere repentance.

2nd Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

In Meekness We Humbly Depend on God

It is God who created us and gives us everything we need to live, including the help He provides through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit to live righteously and humbly before Him. 

All things come by His provision and might, not by our own power. We are helpless and are nothing without Him. When we realize how weak we really are, we appreciate His goodness and we exalt Him, not ourselves or others. 

This understanding motivates us to depend on God to meet all of our needs, physical and spiritual. We become like little children when we see God as our Parent, the One who provides for us and knows what is best for us. We go to Him in prayer when we need help; and we go to His Word for instruction on how we should live our lives. We have faith that He will take care of us and we humbly admit that we cannot take care of ourselves or guide our own way through this world without Him.

We come to see that we need His Spiritual food more than we need the physical food; to provide the strength and nourishment we need to survive spiritually. "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

Proper meekness and humility toward God is admitting that we are sinful, needy, weak, foolish, naive, unprofitable, and that we are unable to do for ourselves what only God can do. He tells us that all good things come from Him, even those things that we may take for granted thinking, that they are automatically there for us; like our food, water, air, sunshine, our bodies, our health, our homes and families and everything that we could possible think of, including all the spiritual gifts that He makes available to us. He is all power and goodness and when we see Him as such, it makes us want to fall to our knees in grateful adoration and appreciation.

Having godly humility leads us to worship and exult Him, to have faith and trust in His will, and to give Him all the the glory, rather than exalting self, or others, or anything other than Him.

Humble Submission To All of God's Commandments 

Deuteronomy 8:1 All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

God's laws and commandments are the standard we are to aim for and if we humbly submit to His truth and what He says is right and do it, we will measure up to what He wants for us and we will walk in righteousness. 

When we are confronted with a challenge that we may be wrong or that maybe we have not been taught the truth on a matter, it is humbling to acknowledge the fact that we may not have been keeping God's commandments correctly after all, for maybe years and years. 

After looking into God's Word to see exactly what He does have to say about a particular subject, God may just reveal truth to us from Scripture that debunks past traditions or preconceptions.  If we discover things that we have indeed been wrong on, then we must swallow our pride and humbly accept that we have been wrong and that our teachers have been wrong. 

We then ask God for forgiveness and then make a commitment that we will change and start keeping what He has revealed to us to be true; even though we may be ostracized or condemned by others who refuse to look into the truth of the matter and mock us for changing time honored beliefs. We may have to set examples of "obeying God rather than men" by refusing to go along with our peers or family members, or even whole groups just to get along.

This is what God appears to be doing at this time. He is opening up the words or giving us better understanding of the Scriptures and prophecies (Daniel 12:4, 9) and He seeing who will over come pride by being willing to prove all things that they assumed were right for many years without proving them original, and then being willing to change if they are proved to be error.  

In this way God is trying to help all of us to see that we have been prideful of our knowledge and understanding (even though it contained errors) and is giving us a chance to repent and walk more humbly and to more fully obey Him and what He says in His Word; rather than teachers and elders and organizations who refuse to admit in their pride that they could even be wrong. This takes meekness and humility and we must all grow in this area and be like little children that want to learn and are teachable; that want to be corrected because they want from the heart to do things correctly according to God's standards and not men's.

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

It takes a meek and humble person to deny himself (to also admit error) and to deny his own pride and take up his cross and follow Jesus no matter what.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

Meekness toward God's Word requires that we put sin, pride, evil, and our own ways out of our lives, including the traditions and biasness from the past that are contrary to God's ways; to be doers of the Word and not just hearers.

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We must go after the milk of God's Word as tenaciously as a newborn babe, rather than looking to men to tell us what we need to believe just because they themselves say so; or because it is what past WCG leaders told us to do, if it is not what is taught according to what is in the Bible. If we study God's Word for more and more of His truth and apply it to our lives as we learn, we will be given even more of God's understanding and will continue to grow and thrive on His spiritual food. It is those who reject what God says in His Word and who are not keeping His laws and precepts that will stop growing. (John 15:2, Mark 4:24-25)

1st Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

If we are truly humble and meek, and hold ourselves in low esteem compared to God's exalted greatness, we will submit to all of His His will; including all His commandments, ordinances, statutes, and judgments. And this is why the Bible so often associates repentance with humbling oneself.

Proverbs 15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise.32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

Brethren, if we are seeking God's truth and how to apply it to our lives, receiving gladly those things that we are being corrected on (and we have proved it to be so from the Bible), we will be counted among the wise and will be wise for doing so.

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. 

To Be Humble is to Submit to Human Authorities

To be a humble and is meek toward God will also guide us to be meek and have humility toward our fellow man as well. To be humble is to submit; those who are proud do not want to submit. As Christians called out to be obedient to His laws in every way, God also tells us to fulfill our responsibility of being obedient to the laws of the land. The spirit of meekness helps us to do so in lieu of living in rebellion against rulers and authorities that God has ordained to maintain peace and order in our societies. 

By being willing to be model citizens when we can, of obeying those laws that do not conflict with God's laws, we show by example of being law abiding and not of the spirit of lawlessness. Yes we are to obey God rather than men, but God specifically tells to be subject and obedient toward those who have the rule over us if its possible to do so without breaking God's commandments. Those who are being groomed and trained to be rulers and kings in the Kingdom of God must first learn to humbly submit to those who are in authority before we can be given the responsibility of being in authority ourselves.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. [But only if it is in the Lord; we are not to obey higher authorities if they want us to sin against God!] For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 

Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 

When we submit to the ordinances of man we are giving a witness that we do it because God commands us to and we are really submitting to Him.

1st Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 

Having Meekness Toward our Family Members

One of the most important areas to exercise meekness is in our families and with our mates. Without meekness and humility, these relationships will quickly fall apart. The following verses provide us with principles that we should employ to keep peace, harmony and unity within our own homes. These commands are from God and are for our good; and if followed they will create strong healthy families, if all involved are submitting to these principles according to godliness.

1st Peter 3:3 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 

Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 

Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. [Again the same principle as to obeying higher authorities: but "only in the Lord" applies here as well. We are not to obey higher authorities if they want us to sin against God!]

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 

And the same principles of humbly submitting to parents, children, employers, servants and masters are required of those who are the called out ones, members of Christ's body.

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;3  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Jesus, Himself is our example for He always obeys His Father and does His will.

John 5:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 

None of us are exempt from obeying proper human authorities if what is being required does not conflict with the laws of God. We submit, for it is God's will and He wants obedient children that are good examples of doing good in our communities and in our homes. This teaches us meekness and humility; a very valuable attribute that must be developed in our characters if we want to be part of His family in His Kingdom.

We do what God commands us to do first, then what those in authority demand us in keeping the laws of the land. We do what we desire to do only when it is allowed to by God and by proper human authorities. The solution to our self-willed, stubborn, rebellious attitude toward authority is humility and meekness. 

So far in our modern Isralitish countries, we have had it fairly easy to be able to submit to both God and our human rulers, but we are quickly losing our religious liberties and we may be severely tested at some point in the future as to whether we will obey God or obey men.

We Must Honor Others Rather Than Exalting Ourselves

One who is truly meek and humble does not belittle or neglect the good qualities of others in order to obtain recognition and honor for himself.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.God wants us to be honest and realistic in evaluating ourselves compared to others. 

It is easy to think we are more capable than others, that our opinions count more than theirs, that we have better ideas than others, or that we deserve greater honor than others. We need to appreciate the good qualities of others and encourage them to use the gifts that God has given to them as well.

Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 

If we see that we do have certain skills, we give God the credit and the glory for what gifts and abilities we do have and use them to help the Body. But we also realize that others also have skills that we may not have and that is all right. It takes many different skilled workers to build a house and each worker has his own specific expertise. 

A meek person does not focus on how to make a big impression on others or how to receive recognition and honor. Some people won't accept a job or a responsibility unless they think it will exalt them in the eyes of other people. If its a job that is behind the scenes and nobody knows what they are doing, then they refuse to take on that job. 

A meek and humble person will accept a job or a commission if he sees that it will help others or help in accomplishing a godly goal. If we perceive that something needs to be done and we are able to do it, we should just do it because its the right thing to do and needs to be done, rather than waiting for others to do it.

We are to seek the lowest seats and wait for God to show us what seat he has reserved for us and then do the job that He assigns us to do...with all our might

(Luke 14:7). 

After Seeking Unity with God First, We Must Work for Unity and Harmony with Others as Much as it is Possible

Once we have searched out the Scriptures and prove all things that we have been given and are in unity with the Father and His Son, we need to work together with other like-minded brethren toward the building up and edification of the whole Body and in the fulfilling of His commission to us, to preach the Gospel and to feed His sheep. 

God will lead us and guide us by His power to others that are seeking Him with their whole hearts and have the same goals. We must utilize all the fruit of God's Spirit to get along with one another, including meekness and humility, never in the spirit of competition and envy. 

If all of God's people would cooperate, pooling all of our gifts and talents for the common good of all (1st Corinthians 12) rather than competing with each other, think of how much we could accomplish and of the marvelous work we could be doing in the world for God. That doesn't seem to be happening at this time in the COG's, but even this situation is allowed by God and will work out according to His purposes. 

In the meantime we can be doing our part wherever God has shown us to walk in meekness and humility toward our brothers and sisters, doing whatever job God has given us to do and to work for unity to the best of our ability wherever God has placed us.

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

God has called His children to be co-laborers with each other to learn to work together without strife and envy in this present evil world. There's an old adage "that if you want to change the world, start with yourself first". If the rest of the people in the COGs are not walking in humility, that does not prevent us personally from doing so. God is preparing us for positions of kings and priests and if we cannot learn to be humble now in our lifetimes, we will not be humble in His Kingdom and He will not be able to use those who are full of pride, self-seeking, full of envy and competition.

1st Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 

Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

A meek person avoids envy and competition and seeks to yield to others and for the common good of others.

James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

If God's people are walking in God's righteousness, keeping all of His laws, walking in all the fruit of His Holy Spirit, including meekness, then the fruit of that will be peace amongst us in the Ekklesia.

Peace and cooperation is ruined by envy and competition. The world's way is carnal and devilish contrasted to God's Spirit and the way that leads to peace. The wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated. 

The proud person is envious when other people get their way or receive positions that they think should be theirs. They compete with others over things that don't really matter that much, "like little children who fight over who gets to sit by the window". 

A humble person will give in for the good of the others and for the overall attainment of what God wants. That person doesn't care who gets the glory as long as good is being done and God's will is being accomplished. The meek person rejoices when others are honored or receive a miracle (like healing) or a blessing of some kind.

It is very important though, that we understand that meekness still demands total doctrinal purity. It is not meekness nor humility to allow error to go uncorrected. The Scripture above in James says "wisdom from above, (God's kind of wisdom) is first pure, then peaceable. 

As we are being taught by the Bible and by those sent by God to give this message: "PEACE AT ANY PRICE LEADS TO UNITY IN SIN." If that happens within a group, then no one benefits but will bring ruin and destruction to all those that compromise to attain so-called unity. The meek person wants to please and obey God first in all things and to obey whatever He tells him to do. 

After putting God first, a meek person is reasonable, helpful and cooperates with others for what is best and to do God's work. But he will not press or insist on his own preferences and his own desires to the harm of the Ekklesia.

We Must Speak out Against Error and False Teaching

Sometimes it is thought and even taught that a meek humble person should not speak out against sin and error. When a person rebukes others for their sin and for bringing in strange heresy, some people may think that person is self-willed, rude, discourteous, or wanting to just be right, or perhaps trying to exalt himself and have his way in the church. There are some in the church who would criticize the one who is criticizing them for tolerating false teachings and false teachers in their midst. They will say things like "we need to be more meek, humble and loving."

This is not the Biblical definition of what it means to be meek and loving. True love and true meekness takes courage and sometimes forcefulness to take a stand or speak out in defense of God's truth and in how we should be applying His truth by keeping the Commandments the way He tells us to.

Earlier we gave the example of Jesus and Moses as both being very meek and mild men and yet the Bible shows in Scripture of when they became angry in the face of sinning people and they vehemently took action to correct the problems.

At the beginning of this study, we quoted Scriptures that expressly tell us that both Jesus and Moses were meek men. But how did they react to evil?

Exodus 32:19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

Moses became very angry; the Bible says that his anger waxed hot and he told the people very explicitly that they were sinning.  By time the disciplinary action was complete, three thousand people had been slain. Yet as stated in other places in Scripture, he was the meekest man on earth at that time! This was the act of a meek and humble man!

Likewise we see that Jesus spoke up in the face of evil doers as well.

Matthew 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

In these statements Jesus plainly pointed out the problems and sins of the Pharisees and told his disciples to leave them alone and not to follow such blind guides.

In Matthew 23 Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites, blind guides, fools and blind, children of hell, and woe unto them for the things they were doing, whitewashed sepulchers, children of those who killed the prophets, a generation of vipers.

Some may say or believe that these words used to describe the Pharisees were not the words of a humble man; but there is no contradiction in the Bible between meekness and the firm rebuking of sin. The conflict exists in the minds of people who do no understand meekness. Jesus never sinned so these actions were not sin on His part, but were part of His job of speaking the truth in love and warning others not to emulate these people or to follow them.

Jesus said the He was meek and lowly in heart and yet He was not WEAK.

John 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

John 8:54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

John 22:14-16 is the account of Jesus driving out the money changers and dishonest sellers of animals out of the Temple.

Jesus did not mince words when dealing with the corrupt leaders and false teachers of His day; and neither did the apostles and neither should we.

Meekness requires that we are to oppose sin and false doctrine in ourselves, in the lives of others, and in the Ekklesia.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

James 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

2nd Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Acts 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

Why are these such grievous sins that need to be dealt with so vigorously? It's because false leaders and teachers attempt to turn people away from the faith, while all the while making themselves out to very important and taking advantage of those that look to them. Jesus calls them thieves and robbers and that they come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:8,10). They are being used by Satan to attempt to steal away from trusting peoples their faith and therefore their chance at eternal life and this teachers pervert the right ways of God.

People are simply mistaken if they think a meek person should never rock the boat and tell others when they are wrong or that they are sinning. 

In the Bible we have Scriptures that instruct us to be meek and we have other Scriptures that say we must correct others when they are in error. Meekness is like any of the other fruits, it must be toward God first and then follow through with the responsibilities He has given to us to keep evil out of His Ekklesia.

To have meekness and to be humble is to have a willingness to submit to God and to His will.

To be a strong Christian we must stand firmly for the ways of God even if we must resist and oppose all that is a hindrance to the cause of Christ, and we must resist all those who come to us with false teachings and false doctrine. The Father has called us to be on His team and to be completely united with Him and His Son in their cause of holiness and righteousness and they desire that we learn to drive away evil and those who promote their own evil agendas.

Why? Because God instructs us to obey His commands in this regard, so we must do it or we are not meekly submitting to God! Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit and is a virtue that demands that we speak out against falsehood and evil doers.

 No we don't go around telling people they are a generation of vipers the first time we see something wrong. We must use tact and courtesy with most, making sure that the sin is real and is fact; then using wisdom in the words we choose and asking God to guide us. We don't use such firm language with people who are humbly and sincerely trying to do right but just have a misunderstanding, also remembering that we all make mistakes. But when people have had many opportunities to know the truth and they still reject it or disregard it, and are 

deliberately misleading or lying then stronger language is needed.

If it is at all possible we must help people to turn away from sin, and to do so is humility and meekness. Meekness is not weakness and sometimes it will take a lot of courage on our part to exhibit this fruit of the Spirit.

Meekness expresses itself first and foremost in an attitude of willingness to submit to God's Commandments and to all His will. To submit is to be of a humble spirit.

If we want to be like Moses and Jesus, we will follow their examples of wanting to see God's will and all of His laws respected and obeyed. We must care enough about God's will being done; enough to be moved to righteous indignation when the situation calls for it. Those who take a stand against sin are the only kind who really are humble and meek. It is God's Spirit that empowers us to have this kind of meekness!

Constance

**********************************************************************

A lioness is one of the most ferocious and strongest animals in the jungle. With razor sharp teeth and powerful jaws, it can swiftly crush it's prey and bring down animals that are much bigger and much more muscular than itself. Yet when it comes to its young, a mother lioness can lift and transport its cubs with its jaws with utmost gentleness, being careful to not exert any more pressure than needed to carry it to a place of safety. 

This is an illustration of  someone who is very strong but chooses to extend meekness and gentleness to others. This is what it means to have the fruit of humility and meekness.

Psalm 131

1 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.

 3 Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.