Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Humility
Humility
Humility
Ebook97 pages1 hour

Humility

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

In "Humility," Andrew Murray explores the profound spiritual significance of humility as a cornerstone of Christian life and personal growth. Written in the late 19th century, this work is characterized by its engaging prose imbued with theological richness and pastoral sensitivity. Murray eloquently contends that humility is not merely a trait but a necessary attitude for authentic discipleship, drawing upon Biblical texts and his own experiences as a missionary to articulate how a humble heart fosters an intimate relationship with God. His insights encourage readers to reassess their understanding of strength and vulnerability within the framework of Christian virtues. Andrew Murray, a prominent South African pastor and writer, dedicated his life to deepening the understanding of God's grace and the transformational power of faith. His extensive travels and experiences with diverse congregations shaped his theological perspectives, leading him to recognize the prevalent struggles with pride and self-importance in believers’ lives. "Humility" is a culmination of Murray's earnest desire to lead readers toward true surrender to God, emphasizing the importance of cultivating a Christ-like disposition. For those seeking spiritual renewal and guidance in a culture often preoccupied with self-assertion, Murray's "Humility" is a must-read. It serves as both a mirror reflecting our innate tendencies and a compass directing us back to the heart of Christ. This book is not merely a treatise on a virtue but a transformative journey towards a deeper, more fulfilling faith.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSharp Ink
Release dateSep 12, 2023
ISBN9788028317690
Author

Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was born in South Africa. After receiving his education in Scotland and Holland, he returned to South Africa and spent his life there as a pastor, missionary, and author of many devotional books. He and his wife, Emma, raised eight children.

Read more from Andrew Murray

Related to Humility

Related ebooks

Christianity For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Humility

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Humility - Andrew Murray

    Humility – The Journey Toward Holiness

    Table of Contents

    Chapter 1 -- Humility: The Glory of the Creature

    Chapter 2 -- Humility: The Secret of Redemption

    Chapter 3 -- Humility in The Life Of Jesus

    Chapter 4 -- Humility in the Teaching of Jesus

    Chapter 5 -- Humility in the Disciples of Jesus

    Chapter 6 -- Humility in Daily Life

    Chapter 7 -- Humility and Holiness

    Chapter 8 -- Humility and Sin

    Chapter 9 -- Humility and Faith

    Chapter 10 -- Humility and Death to Self

    Chapter 11 -- Humility and Happiness

    Chapter 12 -- Humility and Exaltation

    Chapter 1 -- Humility: The Glory of the Creature

    Table of Contents

    They shall cast their crowns before the throne, so saying: Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory, and the honor and the power: for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they are, and were created. -Rev. 4:11

    When God created the universe, it was with the one object of making the creature partaker of His perfection and blessedness, and so showing forth in it the glory of His love and wisdom and power. God wished to reveal Himself in and through created beings by communicating to them as much of His own goodness and glory as they were capable of receiving. But this communication was not a giving to the creature something which it could possess in itself, a certain life or goodness, of which it had the charge and disposal. By no means. But as God is the ever-living, ever-present, ever-acting One, who upholdeth all things by the word of His power, and in whom all things exist, the relation of the creature to God could only be one of unceasing, absolute, universal dependence. As truly as God by His power once created, so truly by that same power must God every moment maintain. The creature has not only to look back to the origin and first beginning of existence, and acknowledge that it there owes everything to God; its chief care, its highest virtue, its only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present itself an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness.

    The life God bestows is imparted not once for all, but each moment continuously, by the unceasing operation of His mighty power. Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue.

    And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is the root of every sin and evil. It was when the now fallen angels began to look upon themselves with self-complacency that they were led to disobedience, and were cast down from the light of heaven into outer darkness. Even so it was, when the serpent breathed the poison of his pride, the desire to be as God, into the hearts of our first parents, that they too fell from their high estate into all the wretchedness in which man is now sunk. In heaven and earth, pride, self-exaltation, is the gate and the birth, and the curse, of hell.¹

    Hence it follows that nothing can be our redemption, but the restoration of the 'lost humility, the original and only true relation of the creature to its God. And so Jesus came to bring humility back to earth, to make us partakers of it, and by it to save us. In heaven He humbled Himself to become man. The humility we see in Him possessed Him in heaven; it brought Him, He brought it, from there. Here on earth He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death; His humility gave His death its value, and so became our redemption. And now the salvation He imparts is nothing less and nothing else than a communication of His own life and death, His own disposition and spirit, His own humility, as the ground and root of His relation to God and His redeeming work. Jesus Christ took the place and fulfilled the destiny of man, as a creature, by His life of perfect humility. His humility is our salvation. His salvation is our humility.

    And so the life of the saved ones, of the saints, must needs bear this stamp of deliverance from sin, and full restoration to their original state; their whole relation to God and man marked by an all-pervading humility. Without this there can be no true abiding in God's presence, or experience of His favor and the power of His Spirit; without this no abiding faith, or love or joy or strength. Humility is the only soil in which the graces root; the lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure. Humility is not so much a grace or virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all.

    God has so constituted us as reasonable beings, that the truer the insight into the real nature or the absolute need of a command, the readier and fuller will be our obedience to it. The call to humility has been too little regarded in the Church because its true nature and importance has been too little apprehended. It is not a something which we bring to God, or He bestows; it is simply the sense of entire nothingness, which comes when we see how truly God is all, and in which we make way for God to be all. When the creature realizes that this is the true nobility, and consents to be with his will, his mind, and his affections, the form, the vessel in which the life and glory of God are to work and manifest themselves, he sees that humility is simply acknowledging the truth of his position as creature, and yielding to God His place.

    In the life of earnest Christians, of those who pursue and profess holiness, humility ought to be the chief mark of their uprightness. It is often said that it is not so. May not one reason be that in the teaching and example of the Church, it has never had that place of supreme importance which belongs to it? And that this, again, is owing to the neglect of this truth, that strong as sin is as a motive to humility, there is one of still wider and mightier influence, that which makes the angels, that which made Jesus, that which makes the holiest of saints in heaven, so humble; that the first and chief mark of the relation of the creature, the secret of his blessedness, is the humility and nothingness which leaves God free to be all?

    I am sure there are many Christians who will confess that their experience has been very much like my own in this, that we had long known the Lord without realizing that meekness and lowliness of heart are to be the distinguishing feature of the disciple as they were of the Master. And further, that this humility is not a thing that will come of itself, but that it must be made the object of special desire and prayer and faith and practice. As we study the word, we shall see what very distinct and oft-repeated instructions Jesus gave His disciples on this point, and how slow they were in understanding Him. Let us, at the very commencement of our meditations, admit that there is nothing so natural to man, nothing so insidious and hidden from our sight, nothing so difficult and dangerous, as pride. Let us feel that nothing but a very determined and persevering waiting on God and Christ will discover how lacking we are in the grace of humility, and how impotent to obtain what we seek. Let us study the character of Christ until our souls are filled with the love and admiration of His lowliness. And let us believe that, when we are broken down under a sense of our pride, and our impotence to cast it out, Jesus Christ Himself will come in to impart this grace too, as a part of His wondrous life within us.

    Chapter 2 -- Humility: The Secret of Redemption

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1