April 30
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. — Matthew 5:5
Scripture reading: Isaiah 11:1–10
Moses was headstrong in his zeal for his own people, and it resulted in his killing a man. (See Exodus 2:11–12.) His heart was right in his desire to correct things, but he was relying on human wisdom, and when we work on natural lines we always fail. Moses had a mighty passion, and that is one of the best things in the world when God has control and it becomes a passion for souls to be born again. But apart from God it is one of the worst things.
Paul was tremendously zealous, and, breathing out threats, he was sending men and women to prison. (See Acts 8:3.) But God changed him, and later he said he could wish himself accursed from Christ for the sake of his fellowmen, his kinsmen according to the flesh (Romans 9:3–4).
God took the headstrong Moses and molded him into the meekest of men. He took the fiery Saul of Tarsus and made him the foremost exponent of grace. Oh, brothers and sisters, God can transform you in the same manner, and plant in you a divine meekness and every other thing that you lack.
In our Sunday school, we had a boy with hair as red as fire, and so was his temper. He was such a trial. He kicked his teachers and the superintendent. He was simply uncontrollable. The teachers had a meeting in which they discussed the matter of expelling him. But they thought that God might somehow work in that boy, and so they decided to give him another chance. One day he had to be kicked out, and he broke all the windows of the church. He was worse outside than in. Sometime later, we had a ten-day revival meeting. There was nothing much going on in that meeting, and people thought it was a waste of time, but there was one result—the redheaded lad got saved.
After he was saved, the difficulty was to get rid of him at our house. He would be there until midnight, crying to God to make him pliable and use him for His glory. God delivered the lad from his temper and made him one of the meekest, most beautiful boys you ever saw. For twenty years he has been a mighty missionary in China.
I can remember the time when I used to go white with rage and shake all over with temper. I could hardly hold myself together. But one time I waited on God for ten days. In those ten days, I was being emptied out, and the life of the Lord Jesus was being worked into me. My wife testified of the transformation that took place in my life. She said, “I never saw such a change. I have never been able to cook anything since that time that has not pleased him. Nothing is too hot or too cold; everything is just right.” God must come and reign supreme in your life. Will you let Him do it? He can do it, and He will if you will let Him.
It is no use trying to tame the “old man” (Ephesians 4:22). But God can deal with him. The carnal mind will never be subjected to God, but God will bring it to the Cross where it belongs and will put in its place. With God‘s transforming power, we can become pure and holy, having the meek mind of the Master.
Thought for today: God takes us just as we are and transforms us by His power.
Leave a Reply