Blessed Are the Gentle
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September 15, 2013 |
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 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Since the number of men in the Exodus was 600,000, the total number of the Israelites who escaped from Egypt was almost 2 million including women and children. Although they saw numerous signs and wonders manifested through Moses demonstrating that God was with him, the people complained to Moses whenever they met difficulties. But Moses would lead them in the wilderness for 40 years. It tells us what a gentle disposition Moses had.
Numbers 12:3 says, "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth." God loved this Moses who was very humble and gentle, praised him as the one who was faithful in all God's household, and spoke face to face with him like a friend. Thus, we can imagine how glorious he has been made in Heaven and how much bliss he is enjoying with the Lord. Let's delve into what kind of people can be deemed gentle and what sort of blessings are given to them.
1. The gentle whom God recognizes as gentle
The worldly people say someone is gentle and meek when they are kind in disposition without getting upset; when they are not opinionated, but just passive; when they are weak-minded and willing to kindly listen to others; and when they endure with something uncomfortable outwardly and they do not argue though they have hatred inside. They may get upset and want to argue, but suppress their anger. People around them observe this and think they are gentle.
However, outward gentleness is not something that God recognizes. Only when we have no discomfort or hatred towards others and embrace them softly and warmly in goodness will God acknowledge the gentleness. God is pleased with those who do not have evil feelings; those who do not inflict damage upon others; and those who rejoice over others' happiness and yet feel saddened by others' sorrow and are able to give comfort to them.
Those recognized by God as the gentle can embrace even those whose actions do not agree with their thought, education, personality, and taste. They never judge or condemn others with evil. They understand from others' standpoint and serve them with humbleness. The gentle have this kind of heart like cotton or wool. If you throw a stone at a wad of cotton or wool or poke it, it doesn't make any sound. Rather, they can enfold it and cover it over.
Thus, the gentle are soft- and warm-hearted, so they can embrace all people. They can hold even evil people who give hard time to them in their embrace with love without suppressing any ill-feeling. If we have a virtuous attitude with a soft and gentle heart, we can accomplish the perfect gentleness that God wants.
2. We must cultivate virtuous generosity to make gentleness perfect
Virtuous generosity is to widely understand and justly accept others. A man of virtuous generosity acts properly in accordance with the duties of man, is righteous and fair in heart, is exemplary in words and deeds, and understands and accepts others' shortcomings. Without this virtuous generosity, gentleness cannot shine its true value.
For example, a person is gentle inside, but he behaves rashly and makes many mistakes. Then, people cannot draw near to him. Another person is so introverted that people around him feel troubled. Another person talks too much and jokes around, so he too cannot really earn the trust of others. Being gentle is something that we cultivate in our hearts, and virtuous generosity is like the clothes that people wear. No matter how wonderful the personality an individual has, if he is in dirty and shabby clothing, people cannot recognize his value and it is just passed by.
Even if we are so gentle, only when we have virtuous generosity in our words and actions, can our gentleness shine and we be a good example for others. Then, we can gain confidence and trust from others. Not only do we act in goodness and embrace others but also we lead them not with physical power but with virtue and love. So, just as flowers attract bees and butterflies with their fragrances; many people are moved by a gentle person's aroma of goodness and love and they can find rest in him.
To have this kind of heart, what do we have to do? We have to cultivate the field of our hearts. We should get rid of rocks and thorns from the field. We can make our heart fields into good soil by removing unnecessary things and giving fertilizer. In other words, we have to cast away all the untruthful things like hatred, jealousy, envy, quarrelling, judgment, condemnation, and fleshly thoughts. Only then can we cultivate such a gentle heart.
3. Blessings for the gentle
Matthew 5:5 reads, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." An inheritance is the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations. Here, 'inheriting the earth' does not mean we will receive the land on this earth, but we will possess land in the eternal kingdom of heaven.
Some people may think, 'Isn't it enough just to receive salvation and go to Heaven? Do we have to inherit the land personally?' In Heaven, we will be given personal rewards according to how faithfully we work on the earth. For instance, one person is just a church-goer while another evangelizes people, works faithfully, and mourns and prays for the church and souls. Their faithfulness is totally different. If God gave the same mansion and the same amount of reward though their faithfulness is completely different, how could we say God is fair and impartial!
God is impartial and just, so He repays according to what we have sown. In other words, if someone has cast off every form of evil and accomplished gentleness with virtue, God will give him a great land for a great mansion to be built in Heaven because he has tried best for souls' salvation and fulfilling God-given duties. A gentle person embraces many people and leads them to Heaven, so those whom he led want to visit his mansion to say thanks and share love with him. So, he should have space big enough to receive many people. It will become great authority that one gains from respect of these many people who want to stay together with him.
If we humble ourselves, seek others' benefits, serve others, and sacrifice ourselves for others on the earth, we can enjoy authority as great men and come to have a great land in Heaven. Under the supervision of our Lord, a wonderful and beautiful mansion will be built on the area with materials that are made with our faithfulness, volunteer works, and offerings. There will also be other facilities like gardens, lakes, and swimming pools.
Once we have inherited our heavenly land and received our rewards, we can no longer increase them, share them with others, or buy them. So, I hope you will clean your heart while living on the earth, embrace many people with love and virtue, and become a great person in Heaven.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the third blessing of the Beatitudes is to become the gentle and inherit the kingdom of heaven. God set up Moses as the leader of Exodus. He was more humble than any other person on the earth. God allowed for him to lead many souls to the way of blessing, and made the way for him to fulfill God's providence. By doing so, he was able to become a great man in Heaven.
God is searching even today for those who have gentle and humble hearts. He gives them precious duties to lead many souls to the way of salvation and allows for them to inherit a vast area in Heaven. I pray in the name of the Lord that by achieving the heart of gentleness and virtuous generosity and embracing many people you will be able to inherit a great heavenly area in Heaven.
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