"Winning the earth" has been the military ambition of many would-be world rulers. Their method has been conquest by force; gaining ground by shedding blood. And, to an extent, they are successful; but eventually they die or are deposed and others come to claim their empires. By contrast, this statement by Jesus is a radically different concept. The word 'meek' is not often used in common English any more, and is often confused with 'weak'. However the original Greek word really means 'gentle', 'non-assertive', 'quiet-hearted'. This is a huge contrast to the world's way of doing things.

Meekness is at the centre of a contented and trusting heart which is satisfied in God. The meek person has no need to fight or strive to achieve what God is planning to give (2 Timothy 2:24). The meek conscience is not struggling to secure the future but trusts that the Lord has everything in His hands and that He will give what is right at the right time. The meek person has time to listen, time to wait, time to pray and time to praise; because he or she is totally confident that they will not miss anything of God’s best.

The promise that the meek will 'inherit the earth' is one of the few temporal promises of the New Testament. It parallels Exodus 20:12, "Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." Honouring authority means submitting and not striving: the principle is as true in the home as in the community, state or church (Romans 13:1-5). Submitting willingly to a God-ordained authority will produce a God-authorised reward. It is not demeaning, but liberating.

Our inner nature is easily inflamed to fight for what we want (James 4:1-3). It was true for Cain, but God urged him to resist that passion: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:7). The same spiritual discipline is essential in the Christian's life as we learn to walk with the Holy Spirit. Then we will start to acquire His characteristic of meekness. In Galatians 5:22 meekness is revealed in its component parts of 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control'. So, stop fighting, start trusting and keep on submitting: accept whatever comes as from the Lord's hand. Then see what He will do with your life, and look forward to His reward.