HUMILITY, Ch. 6: Humility In Daily Life

     Chapter 6 is a powerful chapter in which Andrew Murray begins to transform the concept of the humility of Jesus Christ into instructions for today's believers as to how to live and manifest Christ's humility in one's Christian walk.  Murray begins the chapter by quoting 1 John 4:20 - "He that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"  Here are some of this chapter's points:

1.  Pastor Murray likens the idea that as our love for God is shown in our love for our fellow man, so our humility before God is only proven in our humility before men.  Our daily actions show what we have and are of spiritually.  Murray states,  "Humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men."

2.  This chapter cites Paul's many writings about the need for humility.  In mid-chapter, the author summarizes Paul's teachings by saying,  "The humble man seeks at all times to act on the rule,  'In honor preferring one another;' " (from Rom 12:10), " 'Serve one another;' " (from Gal 5:13), " 'Each esteeming others better than himself;' " (from Philip 2:3), " 'Submitting yourselves one to another.' " (from Ephes 5:21).  Humility truly understands the self being nothing, does not compare itself with others, and honors, prefers and respects all other human beings, regardless of their perceived state.  Earlier in citing Paul's teaching, Pastor Murray cites that the Love Chapter, 1 Cor 13, includes these facts about love:  it "vaunts not itself," "is not puffed up," and "seeks not its own."  Love and humility stem from one another - Jesus' nature.  Christians are to rejoice in being nothing before God and man, and to have joy in being others' servant.

3.  The humble Christian has no envy or jealousy of others, and is not offended when forgotten or glossed over so that others are favored.  Considering oneself as nothing contains the true spirit of Jesus' humility.

4.  When tempted with the persistent markers of retained pride - impatience, sensitive or easily hurt feelings, harsh thoughts and sharp words - one must put on the Lord Jesus, with His heart of compassion, humility, kindness and forgiveness to show His humblest state.  It is the heart of sweet and lowly gentleness and compassion which marks one as being of the Lamb of God.

5.  In trying to achieve a higher Christian life, one might mistake the human Christian virtues of "boldness, joy, contempt for the world, zeal, self-sacrifice" for those divine features which Christ displayed:  "death of self - poverty of spirit, meekness, humility, lowliness."  We prove these by "forbearing and forgiving one another" (from  Colos 3:13), as we have been forgiven by Christ.

6.  Here again we are asked to ask those around us and "the world" if we display any of Jesus' humility.  If we study the Bible, we may more easily come to know the Spirit of Jesus, which He may then birth in us.  We mustn't be discouraged by our failures, but use them to urge us to more humility in turning to Jesus.  When He rules our hearts, then true humility will be one of the "streams of living water" which He gives to flow out of us.

7.  Pastor Murray then once again states how deficient of humility the Church is.  It continues to show what the author calls an "uncongenial mind" which causes a total lack of the "bond of peace" with other Christians and people.  He makes this incredible statement:  "Men and women . . . become a hindrance and a weariness" to one another, instead of the blessing of joy they should be.  All of this happens because of the utter lack of humility, which seeks to be nothing, the least of all, the servant of everyone, even those deemed "the lowest and unworthiest."

8.  The chapter ends with an exhortation, not a leveling criticism.  Murray writes,  "But let us not be discouraged.  Let the discovery of the lack of this grace stir us to larger expectation from God.  Let us look on every brother or sister who tries or vexes us as God's means of grace.  Let us look on him or her as God's instrument for our purification, for our exercise of the humility of Jesus, our life, breathes within us.  And let us have such faith in the all of God and the nothing of self, that we may, in God's power, seek only to serve one another in love."