“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”  (Matthew 5)

Reader, I know a man (He has given me permission to write this) that has a battle with meekness. Let me introduce him to you with a riddle. “Who’s got two (2) thumbs and a very impressive win-loss record in street fighting, bare knuckle boxing, and Jiu Jitsu?  The answer is this man I’m going to speak a little about and share his battle with meekness. This man is around twenty-fives (25) years old.  He is a minister. Yes, Reader, even ministers battle the flesh and temptation and the old man, the carnal nature, Adam and probably more so than the average believer.

This friend of mine, for his whole life, well from elementary school age to the very present has been the target, not of bullies but of other males targeting him and testing him. This friend of mine is not an alpha male and is generally laid back. He noticed this dynamic, like I said, when he was young. However, everyone told him it was his imagination. He never bought that, he new what he knew.  Barely would a day or so go by without someone going out of their way to bump into him or to start a stare down and a nod of the head upward. For those of you that know not a nod of the head up is a challenge versus a head nod down, saying hello.

This friend of mine wants to follow the teaching of Christ and Christ’s Blessed Example.  Christ teaches us that the meek will inherit the earth. His example shows us that when He was reviled, He reviled not again. His teachings instruct us to turn the other cheek. His Example showed the same. Reader, to follow Christ, we must be meek and that is not always easy. But no one knew that better than did Christ. To Pilate, He said, you can have no power over Me except it be given you from Heaven.  Also Did Christ say, He could call legions of angels to stand beside Him in battle.  Twice our Lord demonstrated His mighty power over man.

Twice did our Lord demonstrate His might over puny man, Once (1) in the temple when He cleared it of the money-changers.  The second time, when with a Word, He knocked Roman Centurions backwards upon their backside and after that He stood over them. This was to demonstrate His voluntary submission to their arrest and to win the disciples their freedom.

We see our Lord manifest great, tremendous, aweful, terrible power when He spoke and the winds and the waves and the great storm quailed at His spoken Word. We see time and time again His enemies put down in debate and argument. They were put down and it is written they troubled Him no more. His power is further demonstrated when He commands nets full of fish to obey His thought and will….just as He did in the day of Noah.

Our Lord’s power is seen through the power of His disciples.  The servant is not greater than his master, said Christ. If we look at the power of the Apostles in the Book of Acts, we see men blinded, a married couple slain, and with words horrified a sorcerer. Again, I note the power of the Apostles so that we can see what Christ could have done if He so willed. The Apostle’s power is second to Christ’s.  If anyone new about meekness it was and is the Lord Jesus Christ and that is for certain.  If anyone knew about the battle for meekness it was and is the Lord Jesus Christ.

My preacher friend always keeps the Teachings and Example of the Lord Jesus in mind. Very recently, my friend was in a Walgreen’s. It was late in the night. My friend was minding his own business when three (3) Mexican men walked towards him. One (1) of the men went out of his way to TRY and bump my friend’s shoulder. The man’s intentions and hope was to bump into my friend and my friend would then say something and a brawl would ensue. My friend is able to move quickly in and out and around persons like it was second (2nd) nature due to his years of dodging bumps. The man missed the shoulder and peace was kept.

The preacher friend of mine thought to himself and said to God,  “O’God, how I would love to put that man and his friend, if necessary, down to the gound. My friend told me he would imagine how he would attack before attacking and then when he did attack he would do so just as he imagined and he would usually try and time himself. Yes, like the Equalizer or rather the Equalizer does it like my friend does it. Imagining things like this, does it mean my friend did it in his heart?  Is it a sin?

What is meekness? A person cannot be meek if s/he is weak. The person is simply weak willed and full of fear and it handicapps the person. To be meek a person must be strong and mighty. Meekness is Clark Kent.  Meekness is a robe that hides big muscles. Meekness is a slingshot that is cocked, locked and waiting to fly. Meekness is my friend, who could really hurt the guys that target him, but does not. Why does he not? Because of his Lord’s Example and his Lord’s Teaching.

The Bang Zoom title is from “The HoneyMooners” with, Jackie Gleeson and Art Carney. I think you could find it on YouTube.

Godspeed.