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Primitive religion is not believed, it is danced!

Arthur Darby Nock

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Browning



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Blessed are...

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)

“The Lord is slow to anger," because He is GREAT IN POWER. He is truly great in power who hath power over himself. When God's power doth restrain Himself, then it is power indeed: the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed.”
                                                          Charles Haddon Spurgeon
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Those who are on the right path…
Are meek!

Do we really believe this?
I don’t think so!

Because honestly, we think meek means weak
That the meek are powerless, or insipid

Or to use the term that seems to be so popular today
At least is some circles….

Losers

I happen to like the French version of this beatitude.  In the French Bible the verse reads, “Happy are the debonair.”  I like that, I always wanted to be debonair. 

What is important is the fact that the word debonair is very positive.  It means to be attractive, gentle and kind.  It seems to imply that meekness has less to do with the absence of power, than it does with the presence of love

It is not that the meek are powerless or insipid.  It is simply that the meek know how to clothe their power with love.

In God’s own way, God displays meekeness
As Spurgeon (who is by the way loved by conservative Christians) himself put it
God is great is power
But God has power over this divine power

God does not have to be abusive, judgmental, cruel
God does not have to attack, belittle, minimize, oppress
Simply because God is powerful

A person with real power, real strength, doesn’t have to use strength abusively,
to feel powerful.  Doesn’t have to manipulate and attack to feel safe.

Real power can be free to be loving, kind, accepting, and inclusive

Meekness is strength with compassion. 
Strength that is open to the needs and agendas of other.  It is strength under control. 

So we might rewrite the beatitude this way.  “Happy are those who have their strength under control, and do not abuse their power,

For they are truly powerful, and they shall inherit the earth.

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