Have you ever noticed the people who have it all are the people who don’t need it? Jesus explained that spiritual truth in his Sermon on the Mount.
The Lord’s basic principle for great success is found in Matthew 5:5 He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT ALL?
Jesus taught that the meek would inherit the whole world. Who then are the meek? And, what exactly are they inheriting?
There was an article written in Forbes Magazine in 2016 that in retrospect seems almost prophetic. The author wrote about the eight things people want but can’t seem to get. She listed those things in this order:
- Happiness
- Money
- Freedom
- Peace
- Joy
- Balance
- Fulfillment
- Confidence
The conclusion to her article is what I found most interesting. She explained how a person can attain all of those things above and wrote, “For that, we need an abundance of self-love, and also support from others who don’t want to tell us what to do, but instead, want to help us follow our own internal value system and beliefs.” She went on to say we can “soar” if we believe in ourselves. I wonder if she would have written this article four years later, after the virus. Does “self-love” provide the best things in this life?
SUCCESS, ACCORDING TO JESUS
Jesus taught people how to find their best life too. He said:
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
- “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
- “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
Who are the people who “have it all” according to Jesus? They are the people who know how much they need God and mourn those things that damage their relationship with him. The people who inherit the best things in this life are those who humbly submit their strength to God’s authority and want to be right with him more than they want anything else.
The best things in life come from following God, and not following our own “internal value system.” Why would we want to follow what is “lost”? The people who have it all are the people who live each day with the perspective of all things eternal.
YOU CAN ALSO HAVE THE BEST THINGS NOW
Jesus also told us the “meek” inherit the earth. If you look back at the list of those eight things people want the most, you can understand why the “meek” inherit them.
In Scripture the word “meek” is a counter-cultural term. Meek means to take our entire sense of “self” – all of our strengths, abilities, possessions and energies – and submit all of that to God’s perfect will.
Those are the people who “inherit the earth.” Those are the people who have everything in this lifetime and eternally as well. They literally “have it all.”
BEING MEEK IS WISE
James was the half-brother of Jesus. He was likely with his brothers when they wanted to stop Jesus from preaching and come home, believing he was out of his mind (Mark 3:20-21). I imagine that was not one of James favorite memories. Or maybe, it was.
James was able to look back and remember the moment he thought he knew what was best, instead of Jesus, God’s holy Son. I wonder if that prompted this lesson he gave the church:
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom . . . the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:13-18).
Wise people are those who are willing to accept the fact that God’s ideas are always a better solution for this life than their own. Wise people are humbled by the greatness of God’s truth compared to their own ideas or the world’s. They “inherit the earth” because they took God at his word.
“EVERYTHING” NEEDS AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
The people who have the best things in this lifetime are those who live rightly with God. He made this world and he wants the best for those he made it for. His laws weren’t designed for his sake; they were designed for ours. He is our perfect Father.
When it seems like God isn’t giving you everything he promised, there is a perspective to consider. God has numbered the hairs on your head. He has planned our steps and cares about today. But God’s highest priority is your eternal life.
The single greatest challenge for any believer is to constantly submit our own ideas to God’s. We don’t have his eternal perspective unless we do.
Who is wise and understanding? The person who knows that wisdom and understanding aren’t about self-love—at least not the way the world is teaching it. Instead, it is about realizing that you are loved by the one who made you. We choose to be our “best self” when we humbly choose God’s wisdom over our own.
Glance again at the list of the eight things people most want in this world. Now, consider the list of the fruit produced from God’s wisdom. That fruit is, “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).
That verse describes a life that leads to a harvest of righteousness. The first step toward that life on earth is to remember Jesus said it belonged to the “meek.” The best way to love yourself is to love God most.
Who is wise and understanding among you? It’s the one who understands the word “meek.”