«Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth» (Matthew 5:5, NIV).
Meekness is a quality that is hard to come by. In the Bible, we have the example of Moses, who was declared to be the meekest man on earth. And boy did he have to be meek to deal with the children of Israel complaining!
After the Civil War in the United States, many slaves were set free.
problem was they weren’t educated and it was hard for them to make a living.
Lewis Adams and Booker T. Washington, two former slaves, set out to establish a school so their fellow freed slaves could study and fend for themselves. Washington, who had received a formal education, was named President of the Tuskegee Institute, in Alabama. The job was usually held by a white person, but a new horizon was opening up in American history. In an old plantation he bought, he established the campus that still stands today.
One day, shortly after he began working as president, a rich white woman stopped him to offer a few dollars in exchange for cutting wood for her. She didn’t know who he was. Without saying a word, he agreed. He rolled up his sleeves and started to do the humble work he had been asked to do. He took the firewood to the house, stacked it next to the fireplace and bid her farewell. But a girl recognized him and told the woman about his identity. Feeling embarrassed, the next day she went to the president’s office to apologize.
«No problem,» he replied. «Sometimes I like doing manual labor. Besides, it’s always a delight to do something for a friend.” The woman shook his hand warmly and told him she valued the work he was doing even more so. With her influence, she persuaded several wealthy acquaintances to donate to the fledgling Institute.
Meekness is a requirement to enter the Kingdom of heaven. It was revealed in Jesus’s character, and He expects the same from us. He humbled himself to the utmost and set Himself as an example for us. «Human nature is ever struggling for expression, ready for contest; but he who learns Of Christ is emptied of self, of pride, of love of supremacy, and there is silence in the soul» (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, ch. 2, p. 15).
I invite you to read this whole chapter today and pray specifically for the areas in your life in which you need more humility.
