Dear diary
Last year I was watching and arresting my selfish, self-centered and self-seeking ways by giving up my self-will and seeking God’s will.
This year I want to learn to be meek and humble to arrest my pride, haughtiness and egoism.
Why should people be meek and humble?
What problems are caused by pride, arrogance, ego, self-exaltation, haughtiness, and self-will?
How many times in the past did I believe that I was different from the other problem gamblers, I can be more careful, and not greedy, and I will not lose my self-control this time?
How many times in the past did I believe that I was good, skillful and experience in gambling?
How many times in the past did I believe that I can be careful and will not lose my self-control in gambling?
How many times did I choose to remember all my big winnings and feeling I could do it again?
Am I still happy and very proud of my big winning when I talk about them?
Do I feel a sense of great achievement thinking about them?
Introduction:
Numbers 12:3 – Moses was very meek, above all men on face of the earth.
Matthew 11:29,30 – Jesus said, “I am meek and lowly in heart.”
Other verses emphasize the importance of these qualities
Matthew 5:5 – Blessed are the meek (gentle – NKJV), for they shall inherit the earth. Jesus declares a “blessing” (happiness) on those who are meek.
Galatians 5:22,23 – Meekness is one of the fruits of the Spirit – qualities that we must possess if we are led by the Spirit.
Proverbs 16:18,19 – Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly.
If we seek to be happy, to be led by the Spirit, to avoid destruction, and to be like great people such as Moses and Jesus, we need to possess meekness and humility.
It is the purpose of this lesson to study these qualities,
what they are, and how they will affect our lives.
Definitions:
Meekness
Many feel that “meek” – quiet, submissive and “gentleness,” implies weakness.
meekness is an attitude or quality of heart [1 Peter 3:4] whereby a person willingly accepts and submits without resistance to the will and desires of someone else.
The meek person is not self-willed – not continually concerned with self, his own ways, ideas, and wishes.
He is willing to put himself in second place and submit himself to achieve what is good for others.
Meekness is the opposite of self-will, self-interest, and self-assertiveness.
This is a sign, not of weakness of character (as some think), but of strength. It requires great self-control to submit to others.
Humility
This is an attitude or quality of mind [Acts 20:19] whereby a person holds low esteem or opinion of his own goodness and importance.
Spiritually, one behave in a way that belittle himself because he realizes his sinfulness and therefore he is willing to depend on God to meet His needs.
It is the opposite of pride, haughtiness, and self-exaltation.
Pride – a feeling that you are more important or better than other people
Haughtiness – showing the insulting attitude of people who think they are better and smarter than other people
Egoism – an excessive sense of self-importance