While reading: “Humility”
by Andrew Murray (published by Hendrickson Christian Classics) the Lord gave me
this illustration in my mind:
Arrogance is one side of the self coin. It can be
illustrated like this: On one side of the coin is Arrogance which states “I am
in charge, I am right, I know best.” This is the side which contains conceit,
egotism, superiority, pride, overconfidence, self-importance and condescension.
This is recognizable to others and is often felt as being offensive to others,
but the person who is exhibiting it, is usually blind to it.
The other side of the self coin is the opposite or negative
side of the same thing which is best illustrated with the words “I am not in
charge, I am not right, I do not know best.” It is self denigrating, a
personality that feels bad about itself. It makes attempts to be modest. It
appears altruistic but it is, at best, an act. It relishes its inferiority. It
tries to be humble but ends up still being self-important and condescending. This
side of the coin is much more “acceptable” to people in society but, when you
realize what it really is, you recognize that it is still offensive to God and
is simply the opposite side of the very same coin.
One side feels very good and superior about itself and the
other side of the same coin feels very bad and inferior about itself but it is all
the “self coin.” These are the two sides
of pride.
Humility is not the negative side of the self coin.
Humility is not focused on the self. Humility is the space in which God is
given room to be Who He Is. Humility is grace towards God.
I have a friend who refers to the self coin activities as “navel
gazing.” That is not what being a Christian is about. I’ve been struggling for
a long time in my attempts to overcome my own nature and not until I had the
above revelation and then read the following did it finally become clear what "putting myself under the hand of God" truly means.
From the above mentioned book under subheading: “The need”:
“It is pride that made redemption needful; it is from our pride
we need, above everything, to be redeemed. And our insight into the need of
redemption will largely depend upon our knowledge of the terrible nature of the
power that has entered our being.
“No tree can grow except on the root from which it sprang.
The power that Satan brought from Hell, and cast into man’s life, is working
daily, hourly, with mighty power throughout the world. Men suffer from it; they
fear and fight and flee it; and yet they know not whence it comes, whence it
has its terrible supremacy. No wonder they do not know where or how it is to
be overcome. Pride has its root and strength in a terrible spiritual power,
outside of us, as well as within us; as needful as it is that we confess and
deplore it as our very own, is it to know it, in its Satanic origin. If this leads
us to utter despair of ever conquering or casting it out, it will lead us all
the sooner to that supernatural power in which alone our deliverance is to be
found – the redemption of the Lamb of God. The hopeless struggle against the
workings of self and pride within us may indeed become still more hopeless as
we think of the power of darkness behind it all; the utter despair will fit us
the better for realizing and accepting a power and a life outside of ourselves
too, even the humility of Heaven as brought down and brought nigh by the Lamb
of God, to cast out Satan and his pride.
“The Nature. No tree can grow except on the root from which
it sprang. Even as we need to look to the first Adam and his fall to know the
power of the sin within us, we need to know well the Second Adam and his
power to give within us a life of humility as real and abiding and overmastering
as has been that of pride. We have our life from and in Christ, as truly,
yea more truly, than from and in Adam. We are to walk “rooted in him,” “holding fast the Head from whom the whole
body increaseth with the increase of God.” The life of God which in the
incarnation entered human nature, is the root in which we are to stand and
grow; it is the same almighty power that worked there, and thence onward to the
resurrection, which works daily in us. Our one need is to study and know and
trust the life that has been revealed in Christ as the life that is now ours,
and waits for our consent to gain possession and mastery of our whole being.
“In this view it is of inconceivable importance that we
should have right thoughts of what Christ is, of what really constitutes him
the Christ, and specially of what may be counted his chief characteristic, the
root and essence of all his character as our Redeemer. There can be but one
answer: it is his humility. What is the incarnation but his heavenly humility,
his emptying himself and becoming man? What is his life on earth but humility;
his taking the form of a servant? And what is his atonement but humility? “He
humbled himself and became obedient unto death.” And what is his ascension and
his glory, but humility exalted to the throne and crowned with glory? “He
humbled himself, therefore God highly exalted him.” In Heaven, where he was
with the Father, in his birth, in his life, in his death, in his sitting on the
throne, it is all, it is nothing but humility. Christ is the humility of God
embodied in human nature; the Eternal Love humbling itself, clothing itself in
the garb of meekness and gentleness, to win and serve and save us. As the love
and condescension of God makes him the benefactor and helper and servant of
all, so Jesus of necessity was the Incarnate Humility. And so he is still in
the midst of the throne, the meek and lowly Lamb of God.
“If this be the root of the tree, its nature must be seen
in every branch and leaf and fruit. If humility be the first, the
all-including grace of the life of Jesus – if humility be the secret of his atonement
– then the health and strength of our spiritual life will entirely depend upon
our putting this grace first too, and making humility the chief thing we admire
in him, the chief thing we ask of him, the one thing for which we sacrifice all
else.
“Is it any wonder that the Christian life is so often feeble
and fruitless, when the very root of the Christ life is neglected, is unknown?
Is it any wonder that the joy of salvation is so little felt, when that in
which Christ found it and brings it, is so little sought? Until a humility
which will rest in nothing less than the end and death of self, which gives up
all the honor of men as Jesus did, to seek the honor that comes from God alone;
which absolutely makes and counts itself nothing, that God may be all, that
the Lord alone may be exalted – until such a humility is what we seek in
Christ above, our chief joy, and welcome at any price, there is very little
hope of a religion that will conquer the world.”
And this also: “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 more ready and much 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.”
Take the focus off of
your self, and put it on God!!
Matthew 6:33 But seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added to you.
Philippians 2:6-8 who,
being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the
form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
John 16:33 These things I
have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
1 John 5:3-5 For this is the love
of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not
grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who
is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son
of God?
Philippians 4:12-14 I know both how
to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am
instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Colossians 1:26-28
(NASB) that is, the mystery which has
been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested
to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what
is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ
in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching
every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in
Christ.
1
Peter 5:5-7 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your
elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed
with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time, casting all your care upon Him, for He
cares for you
Be back soon -- I've got a new plan which I will try out and then report on!! Today is day one.
Marcia
