At-Home Family Devotion 3

Week Three Devotion

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are Lord over all creation. Grant that we might live in meekness and humility, submitting our will to your way. Give us steadfast faith in the midst of hardship and trouble, that we might glorify your name in every interaction, every moment, and every circumstance. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

2. Read Scripture

• Recall the theme text together: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” –Matthew 5:5
• Read the illustrative text together: Philippians 2:1-12
• Theme Connection: This beatitude is perhaps the most ripe for two common “beatitudinal misunderstandings” (this is a term that Pastor Asp made up for the sake of his chapel message—ask your student if they remember what it means! And don’t try to use it at your next bible study… they won’t know what you mean…) The first beatitudinal misunderstanding: Our understanding of meek does not equate to “weak” or “timid” or “pushover,” etc. It is more akin to humility in line with Jesus’ example. Put otherwise, one can still be “powerful” or “strong” and still be meek. After all, Jesus was described, and indeed described himself, as meek, and still spoke with authority, and wasn’t a pushover. He was, however, humble, which, in addition to the traits we would standardly attribute to humility, we will emphasize here in this way: he submitted himself fully to the Father. Following suit, the “meek” are humble in the sense that they too submit themselves fully to the Father. For broken meek people, this comes as an extension of the first two descriptions Jesus gives. People poor in spirit recognize their need for Jesus. Then they look around at their world and mourn for the broken status they see and take part in. The poor-in-spirit-mourner then recognizes where their redemption comes from, and has nothing to brag about, nothing to hold over anyone’s head—they are humbled by the very notion that God would redeem a poor, miserable sinner like them. Which leads to beatitudinal misunderstanding number 2: Jesus offers this blessing not as a formula (as if we should strive to be meek, so that we can inherit the earth). This is all gospel. Those who have found themselves in a meek state, fully submitted to God, fully reliant on his salvation, will inherit the earth. And in a very real sense, they inherit it even now. They are impervious to threats, bankruptcy, judgment by others, etc. They can be the “lowest man on the corporate ladder,” so to speak, because they submit themselves to God’s will, justice, mercy, and grace. Just like Jesus, the one who “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” We are called to be heirs with him, provided we suffer with him too (Rom. 8).

3. Connect, Reflect and Discuss

• Parents: Can you share an experience where you were not meek, and it backfired? Or can you share one where your meekness was taken advantage of? What did you learn from those experiences?
• Students: Share what makes being meek difficult in your personal experience. Or what helps you lean into meekness? 
• Everyone: Reflect on the example that Jesus gives to us, as Paul records it in Philippians 2. What are ways we can look to him to come up with real, practical ways of living in meekness and humility?

4. Dig Deeper
(Use these prompts as discussion starters to help guide conversation.)

• Consider further the example of Jesus, humbling himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.
  • How does this act show his humility to the will of the Father?
  • How does our humility differ from the humiliation Christ experienced on the cross?
  • How is our humility to be the same?
• Think of the “result” of Jesus’ humility (“every knee should bow… tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”). This result is one that is actually good for us! Discuss why with each other.

5. Close with a Prayer

Jesus, you have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Help us to declare it with our mouths, and confess it with our lives, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.