Matthew 5:5 (NLT)
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
Most people have no idea what the word “meek” really means. And most people, rather than looking up the word, simply read on. To do so, however, would do us a grave disservice. (Don’t be one of those people. Go look it up now!)
I never understood it either until I went searching. The word “meek” comes from the Greek word proas which means “to submit.” (Of course you already know this because you went and found the word in the dictionary a moment ago).
Submission is one of those difficult things for us humans. And perhaps the biggest reason for that is we have a false understanding of what is really is. When most of us think of submission we think weakness…a wife who has to bow at the feet of her husband because of that one (misinterpreted) Bible verse or the UFC fighter who is being beaten to a pulp by a superior mixed martial artist. Instead, we should equate submission with humility. Submission is nothing more than realizing that we’re unable to do anything on our own and “tapout” to GOD and his ways, trusting that his hands will mold our minds (thoughts, imagination, intelligence) into wholeness.
Since we tend to learn best through pain (see yesterday’s devotion), allow me to continue in that vein. My dad and I took a father-son trip out west several years ago where we attended a UFC fight. During the final match of the evening, two champions stood toe to toe for round after round. Finally, one locked the other into an arm bar, a submission lock on the arm which is usually followed by a tapout. Usually…For some prideful reason, the captured fighter refused to give up. Unwilling to release his opponent’s arm without a tapout, the aggresor continued to bend his opponent’s arm unnaturally at the elbow until their was this sickening pop you could hear all over the audotorioam. And still he stubbornly refused to give up. The referee has to step in and stop the damage.
Like helpless, restrained fighter, we all struggle with submitting our will, thinking, imaginations, and other parts of the mind to GOD. As Rich Mullins said, “We’d rather fight for something we don’t really want than take what He gives and we need.” However, when we find the strength to simply give up, we win JESUS. And we win in the long run. Remember in GOD’s kingdom, the first will be last and the last first.
Translation: the losers become winners!
Be a loser…and be molded by submission…
Application: Change your perception of submission. See it as you being humble before GOD not as a sign of physical or mental weakness.
Mindful Meditation: Practice submission. Clear your mind of everything. Lay it at the feet of JESUS. Allow him to have your thoughts for the next 10 minutes. Listen (not with your ears).
