OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 11/11/2013 - MEEKNESS BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

MEEKNESS

MEMORY VERSE

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Luke 23:34

READ

Acts 7:54-60

Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

Acts 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

Acts 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Acts 7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

MESSAGE

One of the outstanding qualities of the midwives in Exodus 1:15-21 is meekness. Many people usually misconstrue meekness for weakness but this is not so. To be meek is to be capable of doing a lot of damage but to refuse to use such powers for evil. Those midwives had the power to kill new born babies but they refused to use it. Matthew 5:5 says,

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

This tells us that if you are meek, you will attract material possessions in ways you cannot explain. That also means that if you usually use the power at your disposal to do evil and not show mercy, you will be repelling material things in ways that you cannot understand. No wonder the meekness of the midwives gave them households! In addition, meekness causes things on the earth to cooperate with the one who has it. Meekness is a show of mercy. The merciful obtains mercy and the way of the meek is clear. When the way to progress or prosperity is blocked for some people, they will begin to look for some external enemies, not knowing that it is their vengeful, highly retaliatory and unforgiving disposition that is causing it.

Every believer is a potential divine midwife and as such should be meek. When somebody is doing everything to pull you down, and you have information about the fellow that can bring him or her down, don't use it. Those who say: 'Before you bring me down I will clear you out of the way', are lacking in meekness. Is your senior pastor persecuting you? Are you seeking ways to get back at him or even to get him sacked? If you are, where is your meekness? A meek fellow does not have the terms: vengeance, unforgiving spirit, impatience with offenders, etc., in his or her dictionary. The meek fellow makes excuses for his or her offenders. Moses was the meekest of men in his days. Also when Stephen was being stoned to death, what did he say? He told the Lord not to record the event leading to his death because they did not know what they were doing. That was also what our Lord Jesus Christ did. That is meekness.

KEY POINT

If you will not be meek because of the sacrifice it entails, be meek because of the rewards it attracts.