We saw in Zephaniah 2:3 that there is a call: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” Upon seeking the Lord and His righteousness, the mission of the meek is as Christ’s - to restore in man the Creator’s own image lost through disobedience (sin). “For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

The meek are not afraid to say that their mission is that of their Master as shown in the two Bible texts above. They will also bear in mind that to genuinely restore a sinner overtaken in a fault requires a spirit of meekness indeed (Galatians 6:1). With this in mind, we can expect good results whenever called to carry out Matthew 18:15, “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” According to Christ’s teaching, the one offended or falsely accused must manifest Christ’s meekness, for the scripture warns, “now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9).

“God has made the first advance. While you were in rebellion against Him, He went forth to seek you. With the tender heart of the shepherd He left the ninety and nine and went out into the wilderness to find that which was lost. The soul, bruised and wounded and ready to perish, He encircles in His arms of love and joyfully bears it to the fold of safety. . . .

“We do not repent in order that God may have us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.”3

“Our ministers are in danger of taking credit to themselves in the work which they do. They think God is favoring them, and they become independent and self-sufficient; then the Lord gives them up to the buffetings of Satan. In order to do God’s work with acceptance, we must have the spirit of meekness, of lowliness of mind, each esteeming others better than himself.”4

“Present the truth as it is in Jesus, with all meekness and lowliness, which means with simplicity and in sincerity, giving meat in due season, and to every man his portion of meat.”5

“The cause of God is best advanced by those who are meek and lowly in heart.”6

“The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 29:19).

Every assembly of the children of God should be characterized by rejoicing. Both the rich and the poor are called to rejoice in the Lord; and the Lord does not say that only the rich should call the Sabbath a delight (Isaiah 58:13), but rather it must be a delight to all human beings who have known and tasted the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 34:8).

“While the Christian’s life will be characterized by humility, it should not be marked with sadness and self-depreciation. It is the privilege of everyone so to live that God will approve and bless him. It is not the will of our heavenly Father that we should be ever under condemnation and darkness. “There is no evidence of true humility in going with the head bowed down and the heart filled with thoughts of self. We may go to Jesus and be cleansed, and stand before the law without shame and remorse. [Romans 8:1 quoted.]. . . [Hebrews 2:11 quoted.] The Christian’s life should be one of faith, of victory, and joy in God. . . . Truly spoke God’s servant Nehemiah: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10). And Paul says, ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice’ (Philippians 4:4).”7

The Holy Spirit (the Comforter) is with us here on earth to encourage and comfort us, so there is no reason for failing to rejoice in the Lord always.

The meek delight also in doing the will of their Creator just as their Saviour who said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). God’s law should be inscribed in our heart and be a delight to us always. The apostle Paul says, “I delight in the law of God after the inward man” (Romans 7:22).

It is only when Jesus is allowed to come into our homes and have a permanent abode with us that we can expect true meekness in the home.

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house. . . . And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:5, 9).

“The meekness of Christ, manifested in the home, will make the inmates happy; it provokes no quarrel, gives back no angry answer, but soothes the irritated temper and diffuses a gentleness that is felt by all within its charmed circle. Wherever cherished, it makes the families of earth a part of the one great family above. . . .

“Lowliness of heart, that meekness which is the fruit of abiding in Christ, is the true secret of blessing. ‘He will beautify the meek with salvation’ (Psalm 149:4).”8

“Jesus, our Redeemer, walked the earth with the dignity of a king; yet He was meek and lowly of heart. He was a light and blessing in every home because He carried cheerfulness, hope, and courage with Him. Oh, that we could be satisfied with less heart longings, less striving for things difficult to obtain wherewith to beautify our homes, while that which God values above jewels, the meek and quiet spirit, is not cherished. The grace of simplicity, meekness, and true affection would make a paradise of the humblest home. It is better to endure cheerfully every inconvenience than to part with peace and contentment.”9

“In your household you have always taken too much of the management upon yourself. When your opinions or plans have been crossed, instead of conceding to, or compromising with, those who oppose you, considering that they as well as yourself had a right to their independent judgement, you have felt vexed and hurt. You could not endure that your family should call your plans in question or offer suggestions differing from your opinions. . . .

“You should not seek to rule the actions of your wife, or treat her as a servile dependant. Never lift yourself above her, and excuse yourself by thinking: ‘She is inexperienced and inferior to me.’ Never seek to unreasonably bend her will to yours, for she has an individuality that can never be merged in yours. I have seen many families shipwrecked through overmanagement on the part of their head, whereas through consultation and agreement all might have moved off harmoniously and well.”10

“Unless you manifest meekness, kindness, and courtesy in your home, your religion will be vain.”11

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

“The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self-control. He who under abuse or cruelty fails to maintain a calm and trustful spirit robs God of His right to reveal in him His own perfection of character. Lowliness of heart is the strength that gives victory to the followers of Christ; it is the token of their connection with the courts above.”12

“Those who profess our exalted faith, who are keeping God’s commandments and expecting the soon coming of our Lord, should be distinct and separate from the world around them, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Among the peculiarities which should distinguish God’s people from the world in these last days, is their humility and meekness. ‘Learn of me,’ says Christ; ‘for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’ Here is the repose which so many crave and in vain spend time and money to obtain. Instead of being ambitious to be equal to another in honor and position, or perhaps even higher, we should seek to be the humble, faithful servants of Christ. This spirit of self-aggrandizement made contention among the apostles even while Christ was with them. They disputed who should be greatest among them. Jesus sat down and, calling the twelve, said unto them: “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”13

“For the honor of God and the deliverance of His downtrodden people, Moses sacrificed the honors of Egypt. . . . When misunderstood and misrepresented, when called to bear reproach and insult, to face danger and death, he was able to endure ‘as seeing him who is invisible.’

“Moses stands forth superior in wisdom and integrity to all the sovereigns and statesmen of earth. . . . He was generous, noble, well-balanced; he was not defective, and his qualities were not merely half developed. He could successfully exhort his fellow-men because his life itself was a living representation of what man can become and accomplish with God as his helper. . . . He spoke from the heart and it reached the heart. He was accomplished in knowledge and yet simple as a child in the manifestation of his deep sympathies. Endowed with a remarkable instinct, he could judge instantly of the needs of all who surrounded him. . . . Of the man who is noted for his meekness, Christ says, He can be trusted. Through him I can reveal Myself to the world. He will not weave into the web any threads of selfishness.”14

The meek do not boast of their position, whether in society or in the church. Like Moses, they are able to sacrifice their wealth and honor in order to save their fellowmen.

“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:3, 4).

“It is not your dress that makes you of value in the Lord’s sight. It is the inward adorning, the graces of the Spirit, the kind word, the thoughtful consideration for others, that God values.”15

“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).

“I should like to ask: How dare finite human intelligences speak careless and venturesome words that will stir up the powers of hell against the saints of God, when Michael the Archangel durst not bring against Satan a railing accusation, but said: ‘The Lord rebuke thee?’ (Jude 9). . . .

“Let everyone bear in mind that we are in no case to invite persecution. We are not to use harsh and cutting words. Keep them out of every article written, drop them out of every address given. Let the word of God do the cutting, the rebuking; let finite men hide and abide in Jesus Christ. Let the spirit of Christ appear. Let all be guarded in their words, lest they place those not of our faith in deadly opposition against us and give Satan an opportunity to use the unadvised words to hedge up our way.”16

“My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.” “In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name forever” (Psalms 34:2; 44:8).

“According as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).

“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10).

“Our acceptance with God is sure only through His beloved Son, and good works are but the result of the working of His sin-pardoning love. They are no credit to us, and we have nothing accorded to us for our good works by which we may claim a part in the salvation of our souls. . . .

“It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ that makes our good works acceptable to God, and it is grace that enables us to do the works for which He rewards us. Our works in and of themselves have no merit. When we have done all that it is possible for us to do, we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. We deserve no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do, and our works could not have been performed in the strength of our sinful natures.”17

“Your experience should not be ten, twenty, or thirty years old, but you should have a daily, living experience, that you may be able to give to each his portion of meat in due season. Look forward, not backward. Never be obliged to tug at your memory in order to relate some past experience. What does that amount to today to you or to others? While you treasure all that is good in your past experience, you want a brighter, fresher experience as you pass along. Do not boast of what you have done in the past, but show what you can do now. Let your works and not your words praise you. . . . Keep your heart and mind young by continuous exercise.”18

“Let those who feel that their work is not appreciated, and who crave a position of greater responsibility, consider that Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:6, 7). . . .

“ ‘Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not’ (Jeremiah 45:5). The Lord has no place in His work for those who have a greater desire to win the crown than to bear the cross. He wants men who are more intent upon doing their duty than upon receiving their reward - men who are more solicitous for principle than for promotion.”19

Fellow servants of the Most High, let us not be weary in well doing, for we shall reap if we faint not, and follow on to know the Lord who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (see Philippians 2:5-11). God has highly exalted our Saviour Jesus Christ. We, too, shall be exalted.

“Not by their wealth, their education, or their position does God estimate men. He estimates them by their purity of motive and their beauty of character. He looks to see how much of His spirit they possess and how much of His likeness their life reveals. To be great in God’s kingdom is to be as a little child in humility, in simplicity of faith, and in purity of love.”20