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Attitude: Are You Relying On Your Own Strength?

Nowadays, too many Christians rely on I Am. This doesn’t sound like a bad thing, does it? Yet I am not speaking of the Great I AM, God, The Holy One of Israel. Sadly, I am talking of the pitiful “I” as in self. I hear influencers of the Christian community encourage people to say things like “I am Strong, I am Powerful, I am Worthy, I am Enough” and several more self-empowerment slogans. Yet, beloved, this is not the attitude Jesus desires, taught, or seeks. Let us, then, consider what Jesus taught: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”


Blessed. The meek are already blessed in their meekness. They will receive, but they are already blessed within the bounds of meekness, and why? Because they have the strength, the right, even the power to act on their own behalf, but they surrender that power to Christ. IN an age where so many are outraged and demanding their rights, are you receiving blessings from within meekness?


…are the meek. Meekness is a virtue many desire to avoid. It’s often thrown in as “weakness,” but meekness is a strength that is difficult to bear. Where weakness of character comes from cowardice, meekness is a voluntary surrender of will. Consider Christ, who when asked “are you Jesus of Nazareth” by the temple guards, and when He spoke the name of God “I Am,” caused his captors to draw back and fall on their faces, who walked on water, calmed storms, healed incurable diseases, raised the dead, and did many miracles beside, willingly allowed Himself to be arrested, humiliated, tortured, and nailed to a cross. Jesus was glorified because of His meekness, His humble surrender to the will of the Father, and has the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and tongue confess that He is Lord. This is where true power comes from. Surrendering our will, our lives completely to Him.


…for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus said that if anyone must come after Him, we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow after Him. He also said that he who seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus’ sake, only then he will find it. We gain nothing if we seek after our own way. We gain it all as we submit, completely, to Christ and crucify our wants, wishes and desires daily, even offering up our very lives, for Jesus and the Kingdom. We gain nothing if we seek our self, we gain everything as we submit and surrender to Jesus.


Philippians 2:1-18


So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.


Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.




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