Meekness: Resting in God's Sovereignty

Continuing my series on meekness that began HERE, I want to clarify the difference between gentleness and meekness. Gentleness has to do with our treatment of others. Meekness is our attitude of others. Our treatment of others is how we view them. God commands, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves {Philippians 2:3}. Many of us think we are better than our husbands, therefore, we don't treat them with gentleness. We point out all their faults and are angry with them often. If we truly took this verse seriously and considered our husbands better than us, we would treat them differently, wouldn't we? It would be MUCH easier to reverence them, as the Bible commands, if we esteemed them better than ourselves; showing an attitude of meekness towards them.

A lack of meekness is taking offense and being provoked easily. It is also being contentious. {Do you argue with your husband a lot? If so, you are being contentious.} Have you ever been around someone that you felt you had to walk on eggshells? This means they are NOT meek. Does your husband feel like he has to walk on eggshells around you? Meekness, on the other hand, holds her peace and has a cool spirit. She is not agitated easily. Meekness flows out of the confidence that God is in control, and therefore, we don't have to be. We can allow our husbands to lead us since this is what God asks of us. We don't have to demand our way and our rights. Allow God to convict and change your husband!

The meek do not resent adversity because they accept everything as being the effect of God's wise and loving purpose for them so they accept injuries from men also, knowing that these are permitted by God for their ultimate good. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose {Romans 8:28}.

Meekness is knowing that NOTHING can touch my life apart from the permission of a wise, loving God. It enables the one who is being wronged to endure the wrong patiently and without any spirit of retaliation in the face of those provocations. It understands that men's reproaches are God's rebukes, and whoever he be that affronts me, I must see and say that therein my Father corrects me.

Nancy's favorite book on this topic of meekness is Matthew Henry's The Quest for Meekness and Quietness of Spirit. I would encourage you to get this book and study it. Having a meek spirit is completely opposite what our culture values. The feminist movement has removed this important quality from most women, including Christian women, and even disdains it. God's ways are not man's ways. 

If you want to cultivate a meek spirit, it’s so important that we consciously, consistently yield our rights. What makes us angry? It’s when we feel that our rights have been violated. Somebody has stepped on our rights. Somebody has not treated us in the way we think we should be treated. Well, if you realize how we deserve to be treated, then anything that we get better than hell is better than what we deserve. 

If you will consciously yield your rights before you get into a situation . . . Yield your rights to happiness. Yield your rights to have a husband who loves you and cares about you and meets your needs. Then anything you get will be a blessing. You’ll consider it a privilege. You’ll be grateful for it. {Nancy Leigh DeMoss}

How do you go about gaining this ornament of a meek spirit? Carefully study Nancy's entire series on the topic. Get Matthew Henry's book about it. It is NOT an easy study but a VERY important one. Do a word study on the word "meek" in the KJV. Then pray and ask the Lord to make you meek. With God ALL things are possible {Matthew 19:26} and I can do all things through Christ which strengths me {Philippians 4:13}.