I ran in another Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot last week and had a good time. Many of my family joined in the holiday fun and ran/walked as well. My time for the 5K race (3.1 miles) was 27 minutes and 21 seconds. After the race, I made up for the lost calories by eating plenty of food. I am so grateful to God for all His blessings upon my family and me.
Speaking of running, when Josh Ripley was a senior at Andover High School in Minnesota, while competing in a track meet, he heard a fellow competitor crying out in pain. The injured runner was freshman Mark Paulauskas. He had been stepped on by another runner and was bleeding badly and in great pain. Josh said he knew he had to stop and help the injured runner, even though he knew it meant he would not win the race. Josh went to Mark, picked him up, and ran half a mile until he found Mark's parents and coach. Josh prayed with Mark and then got back in the race. Josh's mom was interviewed after the race, and with much pride and joy, she said she was not surprised by what her son did, because that is just who he is. (
Source.) Josh exemplified what it means to be meek, not weak. He possessed much strength under control, put aside self, and reached out to help someone else.
This week, we continue our study on the Blessed Life, based on the Beatitudes or blessed statements of Jesus Christ at the beginning of His famous Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew 5-7. Oswald Chambers writes, "The Beatitudes initially seem to be merely soothing and beautiful precepts for overly spiritual and seemingly useless people, but of very little practical use in the rigid, fast-paced workdays of the world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the 'dynamite' of the Holy Spirit. And they 'explode' when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so. . . . The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations—it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us." (
Source.)
This week, we look at the third of the eight Beatitudes given by Jesus Christ on the shore of the Sea of Galilee as the multitudes gathered to hear Him speak. The third Beatitude builds upon the previous two: when we are poor in spirit and have mourned over our sin, we will become meek, not haughty or self-demanding, but selfless and sacrificial, seeking ways to gently live our lives under the Holy Spirit's influence and power.
Living by the principles enumerated by Christ in this awesome sermon is not easy. In fact, it is impossible without the Spirit's help. But when you and I yield to the Spirit and ask for His strength, He will empower us to live out these principles, and as a result, we will be truly blessed. Martin Luther believed that these teachings of Jesus spelled out in this sermon were not meant for a choice, select, elite few who whisk away to a monastery to try and practice this way of life, but rather, this higher way of living is meant for this sinful world. He argued that the world is indeed corrupt, but God has called us to live out these principles in the gritty here and now. Luther said, "What is the world but a big, wide, and turbulent ocean of inexhaustible wickedness and villainy, all made to look beautiful and good?" (
The Sermon on the Mount Through the Centuries, p. 113)
May God bless you as you ponder what it means to be meek.
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