The whole world is experiencing dysmorphia. What once was solid, concrete, immoveable…
Has become fluid, confusing, changing at the hands of people who think they know better than God.
And yet, one thing still remains…
The character and steadfastness of Our Father who came, in the form of man (Jesus) and walked this earth, died and rose again.
While the world tries to blur and stretch, exaggerate or minimize God, He is the one thing that stands unshaken and never changes.
At the same time, in our world today, we can move towards two far extremes of God.
- God is harsh, mean, unkind and out to smite us without even thinking twice.
- God is soft; unaffected by our sin, careless about our decisions and unaffected by how we live.
Both of these narratives are wrong.
I open Scripture in the morning as I usually do.
2 Corinthians 10:1, “By the MEEKNESS and GENTLENESS of Christ, I appeal to you…”
The Apostle Paul is talking. Paul is giving us direct insight into the character of Christ.
Still, by Paul’s description, we may think that Christ is like the reference of #2, soft, weak, careless etc.
But as I dig into Scripture, I find that is not true.
I look up MEEKNESS in the Greek.
Meekness is “Praus”. It means humble, gentle, mild, “STRENGTH under control”.
Did you get that? It does not mean Christ was soft, weak or incompetent. In means Christ was and IS strength! It is unlike our society that postures and promotes, pushes with force and displays their strength for the world in hopes to prove they are strong…
Christ’s strength was under control.
Then, I look up GENTLENESS.
Gentleness in Greek is “Prautes”. It means SELF-CONTROL.
Again, it does not mean Christ sits on His thrown emotionless, feelingless, cold and calloused. What it does mean is Christ identified with what we are feeling.
Hebrews 4:15-16, “Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.”
The difference is, in a culture that says we can “do what YOU feel”, “follow YOUR heart”, live by YOUR own truth”….Jesus was subject to a life-style higher than His feelings.
He was submissive to His Father. He was surrendered to a purpose higher than what His flesh wanted at any given moment.
And I find it funny that Satanism is actually, not the lying down of self, but the “worship of self”.
We see the worship of self anytime we pick up our phones, turn on the t.v. or while watching the Olympics opening ceremony. (Paris 2024)
It is not hard to let our flesh lead the way. However, Jesus was led by the Spirit, not by carnal desires that destroy us and pass away.
Satanism also likes to put US on the throne. It says WE are in control. WE can do what WE want. We have all the power solely in US.
- We see this with the “taking of control” by Lucifer himself, when he wants to steal the throne from God and falls from heaven.
- We see Satan deceiving Eve in the Garden of Eden, telling her SHE is in control, she could do what SHE wanted to. (Genesis 3)
- We see this character in Jezebel, taking control and charge, even reigning above her husband Elijah to the detriment of many. (1 Kings)
- We see this same “wanting to control”, with King Saul, who was led by his own flesh and lost his blessing, instead of being led by the wisdom of God. (1 Samuel 15)
In contrast, evil insists WE are in control, but Jesus gives up control, harnesses it, and subdues it, for the benefit of many.
- Jesus is meekness, strength UNDER control. (2 Cor 10:1)
- Jesus shows gentleness, SELF-CONTROL. (2 Cor 10:1)
- Jesus gives over his flesh, in the garden, before His crucifixion. “Take this cup from me, but if not, not my will, but YOURS be done.” (Luke 22)
- Jesus did not give over to the temptation of His flesh, in the desert, when Satan offered him bread, power and possessions. Instead, Jesus was submissive to the Father, His purposes, His plans, and His provision. (Matt. 4)
Are we walking in humility? Meekness? Gentleness? Are we modeling our Savior or caving to a world that tells us we
should take control?
Are we learning to lay down our lives? (1 John 3:16-18)
Are we humbling ourselves, so He can lift us up? (James 4:10) Or have we caved to the notion that this life, our decision, our future are only up to us?
Afterall, we are not our own. We were bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:20) We are not on this earth to assert power over our lives…but to live with our strength bowed down to the throne.
Will we live our lives surrendered and with self-control.
Or will we bow to a little “g” god called “self”?
