One of the things I love about Scripture is how real it is. It’s far from tidy. There are Old Testament stories that make our hair curl. New Testament reveals a culture that was as much a mess as ours is. 

How reassuring to know that God still decided to do life with His people then just as much as He is willing to walk through life with us today.

When “Pastor James” wrote the letter we call the book of James, his audience was a church. It wasn’t much different than the churches we attend. They were “hospitals” just like ours are. Places full of broken, sinful, hurting people. 

But the church was and is also a place that teems with hope because, just like a hospital, there are people there that care and are willing to serve.

James loved the church and he wanted nothing more than to see it healthy. One area that he offered prescriptive advice had to do with humility:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:10

Andrew Murray, a South African pastor from the 1800’s, wrote a tiny, gem aptly titled Humility. Today’s devotion is heavily peppered with his insights.

It’s been years since I thumbed the pages of this short but wisdom-filled book. I couldn’t put it down. As I share these power-packed truths I’m going to keep all the “thee’s” and “thou’s.” I don’t want to risk polluting the heart of his message. 

The first quote says this:

“Believer! Study the humility of Jesus. This is the secret, the hidden root of thy redemption. Sink down into it deeper day by day. Believe with thy whole heart that this Christ, whom God has given thee, even as His divine humility wrought the work FOR thee, will enter in to dwell and work WITHIN thee too, and make thee what the Father would have thee be.” {Emphasis mine.}

Humility and its blessings can be ours! We just must ask and trust that Jesus will do the work to bring it about.

The Apostle James and Pastor Andrew Murray aren’t the only ones to remind us of the need for humility. 

This is week five of our seven-week series from Jennie Allen’s book, “Get Out of Your Head- Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts.” This week, her focus is on humility and the choice we have to see ourselves as less important as we choose to serve God and serve others. She says:

“…when we’re stuffed to overflowing with everything our culture tells us about how we should have an inflated view of ourselves, as we’re fed the continuous message of how much we matter, how very important we are… we can choose something different. Something so very different.”

We can choose humility. 

Allen says “the lie we believe is that the more self-esteem we have the better life will be for us. But the truth is this, the more we choose God and others over ourselves, the more joyful we will be.”

She continues, “Humility is impossibly opposite of the ways of this world. Our spinning thoughts can hardly comprehend being at rest instead of jockeying for approval. Yet, interestingly enough, we weren’t built to be the center of our own worlds.”

Andrew Murray said it this way:

“When God created the universe, it was with the one object of making the creature partaker of His perfection and blessedness…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… the creature [you and I] … now and through all eternity, is to present itself as an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness.”

“The life [this power and goodness] God bestows is imparted not once for all, but each moment continuously, by the unceasing operation of His mighty power. Humility, [is] the place of entire dependence on God….”

Entire dependence on God. 

Wow. Why do I make things harder than they have to be?

One of the more famous quotes from Andrew Murray is this:

“Humility is the perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”

There is value to this business of being “in secret.” Private time with God is a gift. The secrecy of which implies intimacy, and intimacy means being known. 

We ARE fully known. And we get to be in an intimate relationship with someone who not only gets us but is FOR us.

And the gifts keep coming. 

We can experience calm.

We can have peace.

Despite living in a troubled world.

It’s been said that humility isn’t thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. 

Such truth!

How can we possibly think less of ourselves when God treasures us so profoundly?

Why would we want to think of ourselves often when we could focus on the wonders of a mighty God who absolutely has everything under control?

Freedom is indeed found in the daily choice to be humble.

Would you pray with me?

“God, we need humility. Help us recognize the truth of this. Help us believe the benefit of it–– not just for others but for ourselves. As Murray said, “Enter in and dwell within us.” Thank You that when we ask to receive humility You do the work of creating it in us. Father, we are eager to receive the gifts of peace and calm. We’re grateful that You promise to put us back on our feet again when and how You know is best for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”