The Pursuit of God Ch: 9

Meekness and Rest

• The Beatitudes reveal the contrast between human nature and the virtues of meekness, emphasizing pride, pleasure-seeking, and cruelty in society.
• Human struggles are deeply rooted in sins such as pride, arrogance, and greed, leading to heartaches and unrest; these are more damaging than physical ailments.
• Jesus offers a transformative perspective on meekness, stating that the meek will inherit the earth as a blessed state conferred by Him.
• The burden of mankind is an internal, existential struggle rather than external oppression; it is a toil that causes exhaustion and distress.
• Key to rest is accepting Jesus’ meekness and learning to lay down the burdens of pride and the desire for societal validation.
• Meekness involves detaching from the need for worldly esteem, fostering a sense of humor about one’s own flaws, and achieving inner peace.
• The meek person recognizes their own limitations while acknowledging their significance in God’s eyes, leading to a state of contentment.
• Burdens of pretense stem from societal pressures to present an idealized self; true meekness fosters authenticity without fear of judgment.
• Deliverance from the fear of comparison and the pressure to conform are integral parts of finding rest in meekness.
• Artificiality and the desire to maintain a facade are prevalent issues that can be alleviated through surrender to Christ's meekness.
• Jesus’ invitation to come to Him for rest emphasizes a communal relationship where believers share their burdens with Him.
• This process requires courage as it involves rejecting competition and self-comparison and embracing a childlike simplicity in faith.
• A personal prayer for meekness expresses a desire for self-forgetfulness, highlighting the need for divine grace to achieve true rest.