Sunday, October 7, 2007

Matthew 5:5

Hi,
I see that it's been awhile since I've blogged. Sorry; my days are jumbled I guess. I hope that you're all doing well. The evil world is working overtime with our church preparing for revival. We need it badly. Too many people are not loving God like they should, or each other. Thank you for all who pray.
When I was preparing this portion today, I tried to think of a word picture. The story that I'm going to share comes from just before we moved to the Czech Republic in 1993. Chuck had gone over to be a part of an Evangelistic English Language Camp in Northern Czech, near the Polish and Slovak border. Sitting on top of a mountain has its rewards, for the beauty, but also its trials.
Chuck had a young man in one of his classes that proclaimed he was an atheist and was quite vocal about it. Chuck just kept loving the guy even through his persecution.
The pump for the well gave out and before they could get another one and get it hauled up the mountain, some one had to get the water drawn so the cooks and people could have the much needed liquid.
Early in the mornings, before anyone was up, Chuck would go up to the well and start the process of running the generator to draw the water. It was quite a process with the generator being fussy.
One morning, much to Chuck surprise, the young atheist joined him. Slowly Chuck built a re pore with him and was able to share Christ. By the end of the camp the guy said that he finally believed that there was a God. Not a Christian yet, but at least the first major step.
Our verse from Matthew 5:5 teaches: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." This young man was on his way to meekness. By acknowledging that God exists, he was surrendering his idea about God; that's meekness.
Secondly, Chuck was meek to not force the issue of God being God. He just calmly shared his heart with this young man and God used Chuck's meekness to draw that young man to Him.
The point of this verse is two fold. One, we are to be meek and this brings Heavenly rewards. Meekness is basically 'power under control' and we are to be meek toward others. Secondly, we are to be meek toward God, thereby being submissive to His power.

Trying to be meek,
Sandy

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