My God is The God Who Blesses Part 4

It is so good to be reminded that our God is the God whose priority is to bless us so we need to control and reject any thought that says that He punishes us. There can be a danger that when we reap the reward of bad behaviour that we do not blame God for it but we should press into Him to receive the strength to endure those consequences. I want to now look at what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:5 which says: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”. To understand this verse we must understand the meaning of the word “Meek” – it means ‘an unresisting attitude towards God’. This meaning is so powerful for it highlights one of the most powerful battles we face – I and my opinion is important. It does not matter how long our Christian journey has been from time to time self wants its way. This why a close relationship with the Lord is so essential for that only occurs when we submit to Him. I am challenged regularly by this thought ‘Do I have an unresisting attitude to the Lord’. Am I willing for Him to mould and shape me into the vessel He has designed for me? Jesus taught that when that happens then I am blessed and my spirit grows because of His favour. This is the opposite of the world’s standard – you become successful by your effort and determination, this why we are warned in Romans 12:2, not to conform to the world’s standard. Jesus said that the reward for being meek was that you would inherit the earth. Psalm 24:1 says: “ The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein”. Isaiah 66:1a says: “Thus says the Lord Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool (the resting place for His feet)” I am reminded that when God created the earth He saw that it was good. The Lord sees the earth as a place where His glory and power is seen. It is so important to have our eyes opened to see what God is doing in the lives of many people. This has been my experience especially over the last seven years – except for missing my wife, these have been the greatest years of my life. It is good to remind ourselves that the earth is the Lord’s and we have a great opportunity to see God’s power working in our lives and the people around us being changed. Now is a great time for us to take stock of our attitude and choose to have an attitude of not resisting God’s way in our lives. The world is crying out to see the Lord being manifested in the lives of people. I suspect that we have been lulled into accepting a Christian life that is only a shadow of what the Lord can achieve. In this season of such uncertainty, it is time for us to declare that the earth is the Lord’s through the power of God in our lives. It is also time to recognise that our light shines so bright in this dark world and for us to expect the lives of people to be changed in a significant way.