Click here to return to Blog Post Intro
Andrew Murray—19th Century Preacher, Teacher, and Writer
Andrew Murray was ordained in 1848 and served as a horseback-riding missionary to Dutch-speaking South African farmers. In 1856 he married Emma Rutherford, the daughter of an English pastor. In 1860 Andrew accepted a pastorate in Worcester. In 1877 he traveled to the United States and spoke at holiness conventions all over the country.
Murray’s life was preaching and teaching. Then tragedy struck. In 1879 he became ill and his throat was impacted. He lost his voice and began the two “silent years”. These years molded Murray in a new way. He surrendered everything to God. He came to a place of deep humility and love for God and for others. In 1881 he went to London to a faith-cure home started by W. E. Boardman. He was completely healed there and never had trouble with his throat again. From that point on he knew that the gifts of God were for believers today, and taught and wrote about it.
Murray began an extensive schedule of traveling and speaking. Twice he was in car accidents that left him with a limp. These God chose not to heal. Eventually he focused on writing books, as he was a prolific writer. Between 1858 and 1917 he wrote over 240 books and tracts. Many of these are considered classics and are still in print today. His books have touched a multitude of people drawing them On January 18th, 1917, Andrew Murray died praising God.
Humility: The Secret of Redemption
Jesus came to bring humility back to earth, to make us partakers of it, and by it to save us.
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. 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.
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.
Let us admit that there is nothing so natural to man, nothing so insidious and hidden from our sight, nothing so difficult and dangerous, as pride. It is pride that made redemption needful; it is from our pride we need above everything to be redeemed.
Humility in The Life Of Jesus
Jesus Christ humbled Himself and became obedient unto death. 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.
Believer! Study the humility of Jesus—this is the secret, the hidden root of thy redemption. Sink down into it deeper day by day.
“He humbled Himself, therefore God highly exalted Him.” He was nothing, that God might be all. He resigned Himself with His will and His powers entirely for the Father to work in Him.
Jesus’ humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God, to allow Him to do in Him what He pleased, whatever men around might say of Him, or do to Him.
Humility in the Teaching of Jesus
In the Beatitudes with which the Sermon on the Mount opens, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.”
The poor, who have nothing in themselves, to them the kingdom comes. The meek, who seek nothing in themselves, theirs the earth shall be. The blessings of heaven and earth are for the lowly. For the heavenly and the earthly life, humility is the secret of blessing.
“Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” Jesus offers Himself as Teacher.
The chief glory of heaven, the true heavenly-mindedness, the chief of the graces, is humility. “He that is least among you, the same shall be great.”
Humility, as it is the mark of Christ the heavenly, will be the one standard of glory in heaven: the lowliest is the nearest to God. The primacy in the Church is promised to the humblest. “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.”
Jesus calls us to be servants of one another, and that, as we accept it heartily, this service too will be a most blessed one, a new and fuller liberty too from sin and self. Men sometimes speak as if humility and meekness would rob us of what is noble and bold and manlike. Jesus, the meek and lowly One, calls us to learn of Him the path to God.
Humility in Daily Life
It is easy to think we humble ourselves before God: humility towards men will be the only sufficient proof that our humility before God is real; that humility has taken up its abode in us; and become our very nature; that we actually, like Christ, have made ourselves of no reputation.
The only humility that is really ours is not that which we try to show before God in prayer, but that which we carry with us, and carry out, in our ordinary conduct; the insignificance of daily life are the importance and the tests of eternity, because they prove what really is the spirit that possesses us. It is in our most unguarded moments that we really show and see what we are. To know the humble man, to know how the humble man behaves, you must follow him in the common course of daily life. Humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men.
The humble man seeks at all times to act up to the rule, “In honor preferring one another; Servants one of another; Each counting others better than himself, Subjecting yourselves one to another.”
Humility and Holiness
In the creature, humility is the one thing needed to allow God’s holiness to dwell in him and shine through him. The chief mark of counterfeit holiness is its lack of humility.
Humility is nothing but the disappearance of self in the vision that God is all. The holiest will be the humblest. Jesus the Holy One is the humble One: the holiest will ever be the humblest. What a parody on holiness!
Humility and Death to Self
Philippians 2:8 says, “Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient unto death.”
Humility means the giving up of self and the taking of the place of perfect nothingness before God. Beware of the mistake so many make, who would fain be humble, but are afraid to be too humble.
Humble yourself unto the death. It is in the death to self that humility is perfected. The one true way of dying to self is the way of patience, meekness, humility, and resignation to God. This is the truth and perfection of dying to self.
William Law says, “When we are willing to get rest to our souls in meek, humble resignation to God, then it is that He, as the Light of God and heaven, joyfully breaks in upon us, turns our darkness into light, and begins that kingdom of God and of love within us, which will never have an end.”
Humility and Happiness
Lest Paul should exalt himself, a thorn in the flesh was sent him to keep him humble. Instead of simply enduring it, he most gladly gloried in it; instead of asking for deliverance, he took pleasure in it. He had learned that the place of humiliation is the place of blessing, of power, of joy.
The highest lesson a believer has to learn is humility. Oh that every Christian who seek to advance in holiness may remember this well! Let us learn the lesson–the highest holiness is the deepest humility.
The danger of pride is greater and nearer than we think, and that especially at the time of our highest experiences.
Jesus Himself is our humility. Our humility is His care and His work. His grace is sufficient for us, to meet the temptation of pride too. Let us choose to be weak, to be low, to be nothing. Let humility be to us joy and gladness. Let us gladly glory and take pleasure in weakness–in all that can humble us and keep us low.
Christ humbled Himself, therefore God exalted Him. Christ will humble us, and keep us humble; let us heartily consent, let us trustfully and joyfully accept all that humbles; the power of Christ will rest upon us. We shall find that the deepest humility is the secret of the truest happiness, of a joy that nothing can destroy.
Humility and Exaltation
Do what God says is your work: humble yourself. Take every opportunity of humbling yourself before God and man. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Do this: go to the church as the publican went to the temple; stand inwardly in the spirit of your mind in that form which he outwardly expressed, when he cast down his eyes, and could only say, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Brady’s Reflections
Tanner went to church camp in late-July; and I sent him this letter –
Dear Tanner:
Camp is always a special time—you can have fun with friends while you worship God. My prayer for you at this camp is that you will draw closer to God and find ways to know Jesus better.
I’m currently studying teachings of Jesus called the Beatitudes—these were very different teachings during His day, and they call us to live differently today too.
The most recent one I’m learning about is “Happy are the meek…” Meekness is a gentleness and mildness and a subdued character, but it is not a weakness. It is power under control. We become meek when we empty ourselves and allow God to fill us up.
God probably chose Moses to deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt because as Numbers 12:30 says, “Moses was meek above all the men who were on the face of the earth.”
When we are meek, we put God first and others ahead of ourselves.
God has given you a fun and strong personality. You’re confident and can easily lead others. Throughout your life, you’ll need to be careful how you use those gifts. Are you seeking what God wants for your life? Are you putting others first?
Those are not easy things…and I’m still learning how to live like that. If we do, we will show others how Jesus Christ makes life different and gives us joy .
May God continue to bless you and grow you to be more like Jesus every day.
May all who read this learn to empty ourselves in humility, so God can fill us up…and enable us to “inherit the earth”…even as we shoot for the stars!