Moses was meek.
Mind-boggling. Moses--the man who confronted the most powerful ruler of his day and then led at least two million murmuring, complaining people for forty years through the wilderness--was the meekest man on the face of the earth. So says God. And though meekness is not a virtue we would normally associate with leadership, obviously God does. And if meekness is essential to godly leadership, we had better discover what meekness is.
Meekness does not mean that we are to think of ourselves as useless or inadequate of inferior in some way. It has been said of Moses that he spent forty years in Egypt thinking he was somebody, forty years in the wilderness thinking he was nobody, and finally, forty years learning that God is everything. And that's the key to meekness; it doesn't matter who you are. The significant thing is are you willing to give whatever you are to Him. Once I submit all my talents and gifts--the ones that He's given me for the task He prepared for me--I'm ready to begin developing a meek spirit--a spirit essential to godly leadership and godly living and godly decision making. For the meek person doesn't care what anyone thinks about what God is doing with and through him. He knows that God is using him as He sees fit--and where He sees fit--to accomplish what's best in view of eternity. Consequently, whether men are pleased or impressed with him is irrelevant. As long as He's pleasing God, nothing else matters.
Moses started out saying, "I can do it myself, my way. God you've given me these great gifts and abilities. Thanks, I can take it from here." That's arrogance and self-deception, not meekness. Naturally, Moses failed. Off to the wilderness. Then, Moses begged off: "God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? Find somebody else." That's weakness and cowardice, not meekness. And that arouses God's anger. As if Pharaoh could intimate God or thwart His plans. Finally, Moses placed His faith in the character of God--the great I AM. And he became Moses the meek--concerned with God's will and God's glory only. He became Moses the dynamic leader, compassionate toward the people of God no matter what their level of disobedience or no matter what they thought of him.
As Christ says, "Take my yoke upon you, learn of Me. For I am meek and lowly in heart; and you will find rest unto your souls." Submit all that you are or hope to be to Him in meekness, and He will, as Augustine said, "Make you a man of value, not merely a man of success."
Mind-boggling. Moses--the man who confronted the most powerful ruler of his day and then led at least two million murmuring, complaining people for forty years through the wilderness--was the meekest man on the face of the earth. So says God. And though meekness is not a virtue we would normally associate with leadership, obviously God does. And if meekness is essential to godly leadership, we had better discover what meekness is.
Meekness does not mean that we are to think of ourselves as useless or inadequate of inferior in some way. It has been said of Moses that he spent forty years in Egypt thinking he was somebody, forty years in the wilderness thinking he was nobody, and finally, forty years learning that God is everything. And that's the key to meekness; it doesn't matter who you are. The significant thing is are you willing to give whatever you are to Him. Once I submit all my talents and gifts--the ones that He's given me for the task He prepared for me--I'm ready to begin developing a meek spirit--a spirit essential to godly leadership and godly living and godly decision making. For the meek person doesn't care what anyone thinks about what God is doing with and through him. He knows that God is using him as He sees fit--and where He sees fit--to accomplish what's best in view of eternity. Consequently, whether men are pleased or impressed with him is irrelevant. As long as He's pleasing God, nothing else matters.
Moses started out saying, "I can do it myself, my way. God you've given me these great gifts and abilities. Thanks, I can take it from here." That's arrogance and self-deception, not meekness. Naturally, Moses failed. Off to the wilderness. Then, Moses begged off: "God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh? Find somebody else." That's weakness and cowardice, not meekness. And that arouses God's anger. As if Pharaoh could intimate God or thwart His plans. Finally, Moses placed His faith in the character of God--the great I AM. And he became Moses the meek--concerned with God's will and God's glory only. He became Moses the dynamic leader, compassionate toward the people of God no matter what their level of disobedience or no matter what they thought of him.
As Christ says, "Take my yoke upon you, learn of Me. For I am meek and lowly in heart; and you will find rest unto your souls." Submit all that you are or hope to be to Him in meekness, and He will, as Augustine said, "Make you a man of value, not merely a man of success."
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