Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the gentle ( humble/meek) for they shall inherit the earth."   These qualities or characteristics..  Jesus taught.. will be evident in the life of citizens of His Kingdom.  His life exemplified perfectly Kingdom character.  He came to bring it near.. to bring the Kingdom into our lives.. we can only live as a child of the Kingdom when we have the King ruling in us. 

Jesus said that " unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." ( Matthew 18:3)  In fact, He adds, "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (v4) .  In 19:14 He said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 

There is nothing more precious to us than little babies.. how we love to hold them and kiss those soft cheeks and whisper sweet words.. But, babies are needy beings!  Think about that in this context.  A baby is definitely "poor" in terms of its needs.  It cannot care for itself. It cannot feed or clothe or get out of a messy diaper without help.  He becomes a beggar.. crying out for the help that he needs.  Sometimes a child will suffer from pain of some sort.. physical or otherwise.. and we immediately seek to comfort him or her.  A young child is also humble.. (until he or she gains an attitude of self-importance and seeks its own way.). He is humble in the sense that he is utterly dependent on another to meet his greatest needs.  He does not look down on others.. he's at the mercy of their kindness to him. 

This is the attitude that we are called to receive. Jesus says we are to "humble ourselves".  It's an action that we take. We realize our spiritual poverty and beg for help. We mourn our sins and the sins of others and receive His comfort. We humble ourselves before Him, acknowledging our total dependence.. our weakness.. our willingness to obey Him in all circumstances.. to become a servant of the Lord.  We put aside any and all pride. It has no place in the life of the Kingdom child. 

Jesus is our perfect example. Philippians 2 comes to mind again.. "He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."   He emptied Himself.. and became obedient.  This is what a child of God does.  We empty ourselves.. empty out our self-righteousness.. our self-centeredness.. our selfishness.. our pride in whatever form it exists in our selves... and we become obedient to our God, Who is our King.  As we fully depend on Him for everything we need.. we will know Him to be a Good, Good Father. 

The promise is amazing.. "for they shall inherit the earth."  The earth - the land - the nations.  This is what the kingdom is all about.. giving our all to Christ so that He can reign over all the earth.. and He wants to bring us right there with Him.  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

This quality of gentleness, meekness, or humility is a fruit of the Spirit. ( Galatians 5:22)   Max Lucado wrote this.. " I choose gentleness.  Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.  If I make a demand, may it be only of myself." 

Father, I choose Your will.  Let the fruit of Your Spirit be evident in my life as I humble myself before You, in utter and desperate need.  I empty myself of all that is "self" and surrender all to Jesus. Rule in my life, fill me with Your Spirit.. that I might become like a child.. Your child.. of Your Kingdom.. forever and ever. Amen.