“Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5 AMP
The Context and Focus:
The sermon on the mountain continues. This time, the focus is on those who are referred to as gentle. It is important to consider how the word is defined, both here in the verse above, as well as the Internet, which defines the word as 'having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament' and being 'moderate in action, effect, or degree; not strong or violent'. The verse above then adds the words: 'kind-hearted, sweet-spirited and self-controlled'. These are words that show that what matters is first the contents of the heart, before the manifestations that are seen on the outside. You can only define a person as gentle when you have observed the person for some time, and can vouch for his/her general disposition over a period of time. That tells me that it is far more important to consider my inner contents than to worry about what other people think of me. What am I storing up now, which will definitely be made manifest over time?
The Message:
There is a key word that is also common to all the people who have been described over the past 2 devotions, and it is the word 'blessed'. Only God can bless a man and it will count. Man can bless you, but he can only give you out of that which he has. Even if he is a billionaire, he can only give you out of that which he can control. When God declares a man blessed, think of the God who owns the heaven and the earth, and all that is in them, and then consider what is truly available to you when this God declares you blessed. You have to know the conditions that are necessary for access to these blessings. I can pray, and yes I should, but it will be a fruitless exercise if I do not intend to align with the conditions laid down to access the blessings promised by God. I can be known as a kind person, but for God, the flow must be based on a heart that has been fully surrendered to God.
The Conclusion:
It has to be further emphasized that gentleness is part of the fruit of the Spirit, which means that being gentle is the outflow of the inner presence of God. It is also interesting to consider the reward that has been promised by God to those who are gentle, and it is that they will inherit the earth. How would this work if this present earth has already been promised to unquenchable fire? I believe that there is an acknowledgement that the earth will never forget those who made a positive impact on it by the way they handled matters. There are men and women who have passed through the earth and have died, but their positive impact remains celebrated till today. And of course, for those who die in Christ, there is a promise of a new heaven and a new heart, reserved for those who have the deposit of the Spirit, sealed for the day of redemption. In essence, being gentle has both earthly and eternal consequences. God has made known what lies at the end of my actions today. The choice, as always, is mine to make, but the consequences have been made clear. I must choose right, so i can end right. God's time of favour is here.
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