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

  20TH JULY   LESSON 18  

MEMORY VERSE :

MATTHEW 5:5                                        

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

Don't knock meekness - it can mean self-knowledge, understanding who you are and what you can do. And with that understanding, you can realize you already have an inheritance of everything you need as God's intelligent, talented, joyful heir.

“Nice guys finish last,” says the world.   “The last will be first,” replies Jesus.To understand why the humble get ahead and why the meek shall inherit the earth, we need to be sure that we understand what humility and meekness really are. 

• Humility does not mean looking down on oneself or thinking ill of oneself.  It really means not thinking of oneself very much at all.

The humble are free to forget themselves because they are secure.  

They accept the fact that, as creatures, they are small, vulnerable, and not ultimately in control.  

But they know there is a Creator who is great, omnipotent, and totally in control.  

And they know that they've been made in the image and likeness of that Creator.  

That makes gives them a dignity that they don’t have to earn and can never be taken away.  

Though they've tarnished the divine likeness through sin, they know that the Creator came down from the heights of heaven to become human and fix what they couldn't fix.

So when they mess up, the humble don’t have to cover up.  They just say “please forgive me,” give thanks for God’s mercy, and move on.  
And when their creaturely limitations cause them to fail, they are not surprised.  
They realize that they are not God.

• All this is simply a way of saying that the humble are in touch with reality. 

If the definition of insanity is being out of touch with reality, then our proud world with its “nice guys finish last” illusion is clearly insane.

• Since the humble are secure, they are strong.And since they have nothing to prove, they don’t have to flaunt their strength or use it to dominate others.  

Humility leads to meekness. And meekness is not weakness.  
Rather, it is strength under control, power used to build up rather than tear down.

The humble are not threatened either by God’s greatness or the reflection of that greatness in the talents of others.  
In fact, this is what naturally catches their eye and absorbs their attention – the goodness of God, wherever it may be found.

The form of prayer that extols God’s goodness is called praise.  
The activity that honors God’s goodness in other people is called affirmation.  
The humble take delight in praising God and affirming people.
The reason the humble take the last place of honor at the table is not because they think ill of themselves, but because they are preoccupied with honoring others.  
And the reason people ask them to move higher is because they know this admirable attitude is rare.  In fact it is actually divine.  

It is exactly the way the three Divine Persons relate to each other.  The Father glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father, and the Spirit is so preoccupied with glorifying the Father and the Son that most of us feel we really don’t know much about Him.

“An attentive ear is a wise man’s joy” (Sirach 3:28).  The humble are able to truly listen to another with genuine interest and delight in the other’s goodness.  

The humble are the people who give you their undivided attention and make you feel special and appreciated.  You love to have them around.  You love to work hard for them.  You cheer when they are honored.

PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA-NELSON MANDELA

 ST JOHN PAUL II  

LYRICS -BLEST ARE YOU (DAVID HAAS)

1. Blest are they, the poor in spirit, 

theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blest are they, full of sorrow,
they shall be consoled.

Refrain
Rejoice and be glad!
Blessed are you, holy are you!
Rejoice and be glad!
Yours is the kingdom of God!

2. Blest are they, the lowly ones,
they shall inherit the earth.
Blest are they who hunger and thirst,
they shall have their fill.

3. Blest are they who show mercy,
mercy shall be theirs.
Blest are they, the pure of heart,
they shall see God!

4. Blest are they who seek peace;
they are the children of God.
Blest are they who suffer in faith,
the glory of God is theirs.

5. Blest are you who suffer hate,
all because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, yours is the kingdom;
shine for all to see.

MUSIC VIDEO -BLEST ARE YOU -DAVID HAAS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chqY9S1Lm2w&list=RDchqY9S1Lm2w#t=42