“If the meek will inherit the earth, what will happen to the tigers?”

I recently saw a cartoon with an imposing-looking tycoon leaving the church and saying to his wife, “All I’ve got to say is that if the meek are going to inherit the earth, they’d better become a lot more aggressive.”

Robert Ringer wrote a book called “Looking Out For #1,” which became a best-seller. This was a surprise to me, because most people I have met could probably have written it and hardly needed to read it! Along the same wavelength, he produced “Winning Through Intimidation,” a book widely acclaimed and even more widely practiced. Meanwhile, back in the church, preachers were still plodding on with “the meek shall inherit the earth” while many of their sheep either listened politely or said, “You’ve got to be kidding!”

MEEKNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS!

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones said, “The man who is meek is not even sensitive about himself. He is not always watching himself and his own interests. He is not always on the defensive…all that is gone. The man who is truly meek never pities himself; he is never sorry for himself. He never talks to himself and says, ‘You are having a hard time, how unkind these people are, not to understand you.’ He never thinks, ‘How wonderful I really am; if only other people gave me a chance.”
Self-pity! What hours and years we waste in this! But the man who has become meek has finished with all that. To be meek, in other words, means that you have finished with yourself altogether, and you come to see you have no rights at all…The person who is truly meek is the one who is amazed that God and people can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do. That, it seems to me, is its essential quality.
Gentleness is power under God’s control!

My Time With God
1.) Preparation Time
In this time with God, read the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-29 and prepare yourself to learn gentleness from Him.

2.) Waiting Time
During your waiting time, let God…

Love You
“God, I feel Your love today, especially in the area of…”

Search You
“God, You have permission to reveal any un-teachable spirit in my life.”

Show You
“God, is there anything that I need to know as I enter this day?”

3.) Confession Time
Jesus’ 3 closest friends had some major character flaws and He didn’t give up on them. Peter, James, and John were His 3 best friends; His inner circle. As Jesus and the disciples were walking to Jerusalem, they had to stop at a Samaritan Hilton for the evening. Jesus sent a couple of them ahead. Once people realized who was coming to town, because Jesus was a hot item at this point, they told them they couldn’t come. When they came back, James & John were the first to receive the news. James & John told Jesus and asked, “What should we do? Call down fire from heaven?” Apparently, these were not gentle guys.
Then James & John’s mom came to Jesus one day and said, “Jesus, I want you to guarantee that James & John will sit at Your right and left hand.” They had major character flaws.
Peter is my favorite, because I relate to him the most: talking out of turn; always rushing into things; impulsive; sticking his foot in his mouth. It was Peter who cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear when they came to take Jesus away; it was Peter who pushed past John in the tomb; it was Peter who denied Jesus 3 times. It’s no wonder, in Luke 9:41 Jesus in essence said, “How much longer do I have to put up with you guys?”
Jesus saw the power of their potential, and He knew that as they would give Him control over their personalities, as they would be honest about their defects which God could change, they could become powerful for the kingdom of God. And that’s exactly what happened — these 3 men became pillars of Christianity & the early church. Jesus didn’t give up. They were a little raw at first, but He hung in there.

Confess to God the “raw areas of your life” that are NOT under His control:

4.) Bible Time
We can never pray out of God’s will when we pray God’s Word.

…Read the following passages slowly a couple of times:
Proverbs 15:4 Philippians 2:4-5 2 Peter 1:7
James 4:1-2 James 3:16
…Close your eyes and allow a main truth to surface in your heart.
…Pray the Scripture and allow God to minister to you.

5.)Meditation Time
After praying the Scriptures, write down the thoughts that God has impressed upon your mind:

6.) Intercession Time – Praying for Others
Begin this time with a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving for the people for whom you will now intercede:
Name Request

7.) Petition Time
How to Petition God Properly
…Talk to Him about the “little things”
…Be honest with God
…Pray “Thy will be done”
Prayer Requests

8.) Application Time
The smallest obedient act is better than the greatest intention.

Q: What is the main thing God has impressed upon me today?

Q: What am I going to do about it?

Steps to take in my obedience to God:

9.) Faith Time
Faith is our positive response to what God has said. Spend a few moments praying through your eyes of faith. Tell God the positive things you see happening because of His goodness!

10.) Praise & Thanksgiving Time

Praise God by recognizing WHO HE IS!
Thank God by recognizing WHAT HA HAS DONE!

When someone disappoints you, are you gentle or judgmental? Your response will determine the health of that relationship. Elijah was a great prophet of God. He had some successes and he had some failures.
1 Kings 19 tells us Elijah had just had the most glorious day of his career. He had just defeated 450 prophets of Baal and things were looking good. Except for one thing: there was this woman, Jezebel, chasing him. For some reason, he just lost it and started running from her. As he was running through the wilderness, God came to him and asked him what he was doing there. Elijah said, “I’ve been very zealous for the Lord, I’ve been doing all this work and I just can’t take it anymore.” God told him to go to a cave and wait for Him.
If you knew you had just disappointed God and He told you to go to a cave and wait for Him, what would you be thinking? I think he was a little stressed. He may have been thinking God would say, “Elijah, you’ve had all these victories, and a woman starts chasing you and you run for cover. What’s wrong with you? After all I’ve done for you, and you still don’t trust Me?” Or “This is it! You’re so weak and timid, I’m not going to be able to use you anymore.” As Elijah was rehearsing these things in his head, the Word of the Lord came to him.
God told him to go out and stand before Him on the mountain. As he stood there, the Lord passed by and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire was the sound of a gentle whisper. That’s where God was. Elijah was expecting a flying fist from heaven — he was ducking, expecting a knock-out punch from God, and God came gently, not with judgments or condemnation.
The same is true for us. When we blow it, God is not waiting for you with clenched fists. He’s waiting for you with open arms — just like the prodigal son who came home after squandering half of his father’s wealth, with his head hung in shame, fully expecting to get blasted by his dad. His dad didn’t say, “See, I told you so. I knew you would blow it all.” No. He greeted him with open arms and said, “My boy’s home.” God wants us to run to Him, not against Him.
When someone disappoints you, are you a raging wind that comes in and starts blowing everyone around? Or an earthquake who starts shaking people up? Or a fire who rages? Or do you respond in a gentle whisper? There’s power in gentleness. It gets people’s attention. I think Elijah was shocked at God’s response. Gentle people have their expectations under God’s control.

This Week’s Memory Verse: Ephesians 4:2

This Week’s Time Alone With God
Monday – This lesson

Tuesday – Is my personality under God’s control? Remember the illustration of Jesus’ disciples? Write down an area or two of your temperament that is not under control.

Wednesday – Are my words under God’s control? Carefully watch what you say today. Remember, each word is a gift.

Thursday – Is my perspective under God’s control? If it is, you will start seeing and working for the benefit of others, not just yourself.

Friday – Are my responses under God’s control? Gentle people are proactive, not reactive.

“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his own spirit, than he who captures a city.”
(Proverbs 16:32)

A Proactive person is self-controlled.
A Reactive person is other-controlled.

Today, respond to people & situations with a gentleness of spirit.