Meekness and BY A. W. TOZER
Rest ried or toil borne to the point of exhaustion. Rest is simply release from that burden. It is not something we do, it is what comes to us when we cease to do. His own meekness, that is the rest. Let us examine our burden. It is altogether an interior one. It attacks the heart and the mind and reaches the body only from within. First, there is the burden of pride. The labor of self-love is a heavy one in deed. Think for yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightly of you. As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. How then can you hope to have in ward peace? The heart’s fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest. Con tinue this fight through the years and the burden w ill become intoler able. Yet the sons of earth are carry ing this burden continually, challeng ing every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smart ing under each fancied slight, tossing sleeplessly if another is preferred be fore them. Such a burden as this is not neces sary to bear. Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. He de velops toward himself a kindly sense of humor and learns to say, “ Oh, so you have been overlooked? They have placed someone else before you? They have whispered that you are pretty small stuff after all? And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about you the very things you have been saying about yourself? Only yesterday you were telling God that you were nothing, a mere worm of the dust. Where is your consistency?
A fairly accurate description of the human race might be furnished one unacquainted with it by taking the Beatitudes, turning them wrong side out and saying, “Here is your human race.” For the exact opposite of the virtues in the Beati tudes are the very qualities which distinguish human life and conduct. In the world of men we find noth ing approaching the virtues of which Jesus spoke in the opening words of the famous Sermon on the Mount. Instead of poverty of spirit we find the rankest kind of pride; instead of mourners we find pleasure seekers; instead of meekness, arrogance; in stead of hunger after righteousness we hear men saying, “ I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing,” instead of mercy we find cruelty; instead of purity of heart, corrupt imaginings; instead of peace makers we find men quarrelsome and resentful; instead of rejoicing in mis treatment we find them fighting back with every weapon at their command. Of this kind of moral stuff civilized society is composed. The atmosphere is charged with it; we breathe it with , every breath and drink it with our mother’s milk. Culture and education refine these things slightly but leave them basically untouched. A whole world of literature has been created to justify this kind of life as the only normal one. And this is the more to be wondered at seeing that these are the evils which make life the bitter struggle it is for all of us. All our heartaches and a great many of our physical ills spring directly out of our sins. Pride, arrogance, resent fulness, evil im a g in in g s , malice, greed: these are the sources of more human pain than all the diseases that ever afflicted mortal flesh. Into a world like this the sound of Jesus’ words comes wonderful and strange, a visitation from above. It is well that He spoke, for no one else could have done it as well; and it is good that we listen. His words
are the essence of truth. He is not offering an opinion; Jesus never ut tered opinions. He never guessed; He knew and He knows. His words are not as Solomon’s were, the sum of sound wisdom or the results of keen observation. He spoke out of the ful ness of His Godhead, and His words are very Truth itself; He is the only one who could say blessed with com plete authority, for He is the Blessed One come from the world above to confer blessedness upon mankind. And His words were supported by deeds mightier than any performed on this earth by any other man. It is wisdom for us to listen. As was often so with Jesus, He used this word meek in a brief, crisp sentence, and not until some time later did He go on to explain it. In the same book of Matthew He tells us more about it and applies it to our lives. “ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Here we have two things standing in contrast to each other, a burden and a rest. The burden is not a local one, peculiar to those first hearers, but one which is borne by the whole human race. It con sists not of political oppression nor poverty nor hard work. It is far deep er than that. It is felt by the rich as well as the poor for it is something from which wealth and idleness can never deliver us. His Meekness: Our Rest The burden borne by mankind is a heavy and a crushing thing. The word Jesus used means a load car- About The Author Mr. Tozer, whom we consider one of America's finest theologians, is a pastor (Christian & Mis sionary Alliance, Chicago), writer ("Divine Con quest, "The Pursuit of God") and editor ("The Alliance Weekly"). This article Is included in "The Pursuit of God," Christian Publications, Inc.
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