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There are those among us that have been unable to tell the difference between that liberty, as enjoyed by the truly faithful, and the license that is sometimes sold as liberty. To be sure, any so-called liberty that is exercised in ways that works to the detriment of others is not genuine and contrary to what Jesus taught and exemplified. Stoking anger, resentment, and a sense of entitlement is easy. Backbiting, while offering no clearly articulated vision for a future of light and life is also easy.
Leveraging the FIBS of Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear as used by integrity challenged politicians is only an effective technique when the consumer is unquestioning. Fear is an unworthy motivator for a person of faith. There is no excuse for ignorance with such diversity in the way information is gathered and delivered. Bigotry has always been rooted in delusions of superiority and an exaggerated sense of self-importance. And smear? What excuse is there for someone who professes love and an allegiance to the things our Heavenly Father holds dear?
We must ask ourselves, just what is it that any true parent holds dear? It is that we all cherish our children’s future. The likelihood that anything resembling a bright future will be brought about by militant factions is just about zilch. Jesus made it clear that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Even so, those cherrypicking the words of his followers can usually find some phrasing, in some interpretation, through some translation of the bible, to justify leading with an AR-15. Are such people faithful representatives of the good news? Or are they selfishly setting themselves up as the arbiters of your destiny?
Jesus said: “This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus loved all of humanity. Those who would convert the flock into their own club of self-righteous exclusivity, those who aim to do a makeover and thereby shrink the Kingdom of God to fit their nationalist, sexist, and racist ideology, and those who think hate mongering is somehow compatible with our rebirth into the Family of God, are indeed fortunate that Our Father is a Person who bestows unmerited favor upon all of his children.
Jesus is quoted in Matthew as saying “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” And, in the Book of Numbers we are told “Now the man Moses was very meek above all men.” In his 1828 Dictionary, Noah Webster defined meekness as “Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.” Dictionary-dot-com offers this phrasing in its contemporary definition for the word meek “Humbly patient, or quiet in nature; as under provocation from others.”
To be appropriately humble means to be submissive to the Divine will. Jesus was also quoted in Matthew as saying: “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls.” From these examples we can understand that genuine meekness has no relation to fear. It refers to an attitude. It portrays a scenario whereby an individual human being is co-operating with God. “Your will be done” is not an utterance to be given up grudgingly. It can be stated enthusiastically and fervently as in “It is my will that your will be done.”
Those inheriting the earth actively embrace patience and forbearance. They are motivated by an unshakable faith in a lawful and friendly universe. Faith is, first and foremost, defined by loyalty. It masters the self and is therefore impervious to any and all temptations that would lead to rebellion against the divine leading. Jesus was the ideal meek man and he illuminated the way to faithfully administer our true inheritance.
There are those who believe “When the trumpet blows” the game will be over, that Jesus will fix everything and the faithful will receive their reward. They seem to forget that when Jesus delivered the Parable of the Talents, he described a scenario where one servant was given five talents to invest, another two, and another was entrusted with one. While the first two wisely invested the funds entrusted to them, the third servant buried his. When they were called to account, the first two had produced twice what they had been given while the third servant returned only the original amount he was given, no return or increase on the investment.
The wealthy man praised the first two servants while to the third he said: “You are an indolent and slothful steward.” When the trumpet does blow, we too will be called to an accounting, and God will remember what we were admonished to do in the Book of Genesis wherein he said: “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Will we qualify as good stewards of all that has been entrusted to us?