Humility in Christian preaching emphasizes a modest and selfless spirit that recognizes dependence on God rather than self-exaltation. It often uses images of bending bamboo, plain vessels, and stooping low to illustrate true greatness as service and surrender (Philippians 2:3-8). Humility involves giving God all glory, rejecting pride, and embracing weakness to be fruitful in His grace (James 4:6).
Be cautious in criticism; pride blinds us to our own faults.
Be careful and cautious how you criticize. The man who had a good opinion of himself and his own virtues and thought he was so much better than anyone else, stopped in front of a taxidermist's window, in which there was an owl which had attracted quite a crowd of sightseers.
So sure he was far superior in his knowledge of birds, he remarked, "Well, if I couldn't stuff an owl better than that, I would quit the business. The head is not right; the pose of the body is awkward; the feathers are not right; and the feet are not under it right." Just then the owl turned its head and gave him a quick wink or two.
The crowd roared. They turned to comment to him; but he slunk away as fast as he could go.
Humility is genuine only when it is not self-promoting or self-aware.
Some years ago I saw what is called a sensitive plant. I happened to breathe on it, and suddenly it drooped its head. I touched it, and it withered away. Humility is as sensitive as that-it cannot safely be brought out on exhibition.
A man who is flattering himself that he is humble and is walking close to the Master is self-deceived. Humility consists not in thinking merely of ourselves, but in not thinking of ourselves at all. Moses did not realize that his face shone. If humility speaks of itself, it is gone.
Humility carries the weight of wisdom, while pride is light-headed conceit.
The branch that bears the most fruit bows lowest to the ground while the branch with little or no fruit stands most upright. So it is with humility and conceit. Humility carries with it the weight of wisdom while conceit has the light-headedness of pride.
True humility acknowledges God as the source of all gifts and glory.
A woman doctor on the mission field restored to health the greatly loved child of a native. In gratitude he knelt at her feet and not only thanked her but worshiped her as a god. She remonstrated, saying that she was a mortal like himself and worship belonged only to God. He replied that no one but a god could have saved the child's life. "Whom would you thank and praise," the missionary replied, "for a princely gift sent by the hand of a messenger-the servant or his generous master, the giver? I am but God's servant by whose hand he has been pleased to send you this great gift of healing." May a like humility and faithfulness possess us as we use our gifts, small or great, in the service of our Lord and among those in the sphere where He has placed us.
False humility is easily detected and cannot benefit a Christian.
If the Christian wants to receive any benefit as he looks in the mirror of the Word of God, he must approach it with humility. A man can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility. One soon detects mock humility.
Humility preserves spiritual purity and brings God's blessings amid trials.
Some years ago, a party of Americans were leaving Cairo, Egypt, on a journey across the desert and bought vessels in which to carry water. Each one chose the kind of vessel that pleased him. One found jars of brass whose fine designs attracted him. Another purchased porcelain vessels of rare beauty. A third, however, took some plain earthenware bottles. The way across the desert was long and wearisome. The heat was intense. Every drop of water was of value. The brass vessels heated; the water became impure, unfit to drink. The costly porcelain jars cracked in the heat and the water was lost. But the plain earthenware bottles kept the water pure and fresh to the journey's end. The Blessing of Humility
When you are in the process of humbling yourself, the Lord will load you with blessings. God wants you to be like the stalk of wheat that is full of beautiful grains. The more it is loaded the lower it stoops down. Thus, my dear friend, your real riches will be manifested by your humility. The Humble Monk
A subtle temptation that comes to the new believer in Christ is to become proud of his position. He finds it all too easy to take the lead and to assign to Christ a position of lesser importance. Thomas Aquinas was a true saint of God, whose crown of glory never faded because he never polished it himself. One day when he was walking in the cloisters of a monastery in Bologna where he was lecturing, a monk came hurrying up to him and told him to come with him on an errand to the city. The monk had been ordered by his superior to bring with him the first brother monk he saw; not knowing Thomas by sight, he told him to come.
The great teacher never said a word but followed the monk as well as he could, though a bit slowly, for he was rather lame. "Hurry up, can't you?" the monk said impatiently, and Thomas did his best. After a while, the monk noticed that all the people in the street were looking at his companion, and many of them were saluting him with great respect. Presently one of them asked, "Isn't that the great teacher, Thomas Aquinas, who is with you?" The monk was horror-stricken! He had disturbed one of the most important men in the city and then treated him with scant courtesy. With tears in his eyes he begged the master's pardon.
Humility leads to seeking God's guidance and recognizing His glory in achievements.
The inventor of the telegraph, Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, was asked by a friend, "Professor Morse, when you were making your experiments in your rooms at the university, did you ever come to a standstill, not knowing what to do next?"
"Oh, yes, more than once."
"At such times what did you do next?"
"Whenever I could not see my way clearly, I prayed for more light."
"And the light generally came?"
"Yes. And may I tell you that, when flattering honors came to me from the invention which bears my name, I never felt I deserved them. I had made a valuable application of electricity, not because I was superior to other men, but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone, and was pleased to reveal it to me."
The first message sent by the inventor of the Morse code was, "What hath God wrought!"
Lowliness before God enables fruitful spiritual life through His grace.
A government official in India who was engaged in irrigation work came to the owner of a field and offered to make it fruitful, to which the owner answered, "You needn't attempt to do anything with my field; it is barren and will produce nothing." The official replied, "I can make your field richly fruitful if only it lies low enough." He meant that a lowland would be much easier to irrigate than higher ground. If you and I are willing to accept God's estimate of us as revealed in Scripture-as fallible, weak, and unfruitful apart from His enabling grace in Christ-He can fill us with the living water that will bring forth fruit. One of the last messages of a great philanthropist was, "Tell my younger brethren that they may be too big for God to use them, but they cannot be too small." An Outstanding Memory
I had the opportunity of conversing with Mrs. May Moody Whittle, D. L. Moody's daughter-in-law. I asked her what was her outstanding memory in the life of Dwight L. Moody. Do you know what she said? "He could tell his children that he was wrong and ask them to forgive him." She went on to tell me that one day the children let the horses out of the stable and it took him a long time to get them back. He really told them off. Finally, at night when the children were in bed, Mr. Moody went up and apologized to them for having spoken as he did. This trait is what his children esteemed more than anything else in their father. The Holy Shadow
It is said that long ago there lived a saint so good that the angels came down to see how a mortal could be so godly. He went about his daily work diffusing virtue as a star diffuses light, as a flower emits perfume, without being aware of it. Two words told the story of his days-he gave; he forgave. Yet these words never fell from lips; they were only expressed by his smile, in his forbearance and charity. The angels asked God that the gift of miracles might be given to this good man. The answer was, "Yes; ask him what he wishes." So the angels spoke to him about it. Would he choose that the touch of his hand should heal the sick? He said, no, that he would rather God should do that. Would he have power to convert souls? He answered, no, that it was the Holy Spirit's work. What, then, did he desire? He said, "That God may give me His grace." When pressed further to give the particular power he would have, he replied, "That I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it." Then it was decided that every time the saint's shadow should fall behind or on either side, so that he could not see it, it should have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow. Thus it came to pass that, falling thus out of his sight, his shadow made withered plants grow again, and fading flowers sweet, gave health to pale children and joy to unhappy mothers. But the saint was never aware of the blessings that flowed from him. And the people, respecting his humility, even forgot his name and spoke of him as the Holy Shadow. How different this dear saint was from some of the present-day leaders in our religious circles whose names almost overshadow the name of Him whom they preach.
True honor comes from obedient response to God's Word, not applause or flattery.
One of the things St. Chrysostom detested was the applause and flattery of those to whom he preached. He said: "To me it is nothing when I am applauded and well spoken of. There is only one thing I ask of you-to prove your approval of me through your works. That is how you can speak well of me, and that is what is going to do you good. This, to me, is the greatest honor. I prefer it to a material crown. I do not desire applause and being well spoken of. I have one request to make-for you to listen to me in quiet attentiveness and to put my advice into practice. This is not a theater. You don't sit here in order to admire actors and to applaud them. This is a place where you must learn the things of God." God greatly honored Chrysostom in the sowing of the seed of His Word because he was a humble man.
We must humbly acknowledge all spiritual gifts come from God's grace, not ourselves.
"Look, Daddy, I wrote my name all by myself!" cried a little boy proudly waving a paper. His mother had held his hand and helped him form the letters for several days, and now this wavering scrawl is suddenly his own accomplishment. We smile at this, but do we not often behave in similar fashion? When by God's grace we give our hearts to Jesus Christ, and His love comes to dwell within us, how can we take credit to self for His working in and through us? Paul's question, "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7) should restore us to a proper sense of humility before God and our fellowmen.
Contemplating God's vast creation humbles human pride and self-importance.
The naturalist William Beebe told of an exercise in humility practiced during visits he made to Theodore Roosevelt at Sagamore Hill. Often, after an evening's talk, the two men would stroll over the wide-spreading lawn and look up into the night sky. They would see who could first find the pale bit of light near the upper lefthand corner of the Great Square of Pegasus. Then either Beebe or Roosevelt would exclaim, "That is the spiral galaxy of Andromeda! It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It is two and a half million light-years away. It consists of one hundred billion suns, many of them larger than our own sun!" After a moment of awesome silence, Roosevelt would grin and say, "Now I think we are small enough. Let's go to bed!"
God's best gifts require us to humble ourselves, stooping lower to receive them.
F.B. Meyer once said: "I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts."
Self must be hidden to prevent hindering our work and prayer life.
The great artist Michelangelo fastened a little lantern to his headpiece so that his shadow wouldn't fall on the marble on which he was working. When self becomes obtrusive, it casts a shadow on all we do. This is true even in prayer.
Humility grows as we admit our need for guidance and trust others to help us.
A mother once sent her son on an errand to a place he'd never been. He was a little fellow, but he didn't want to show he was afraid. That's human nature. The younger we are, the more we hate to lose face. Humility often comes with age. As this youngster got ready to leave the house, he stopped at the door, turned to his mother, and said, "It's so far, and I don't know the way. I'm not afraid, you know, but could you come along with me for a little bit of the way?" The mother understood how disturbed the little one was. "Of course," she said. "Mother will come with you all the way." The little fellow put his hand in hers and went out in full confidence that everything would be all right.
God uses those who recognize their own weakness and littleness for His purposes.
When someone asked St. Francis of Assisi why and how he could accomplish so much, he replied: "This may be why. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the earth and said, 'Where can I find the weakest, the littlest, the meanest man on the face of the earth?' Then He saw me and said, "Now I've found him, and I will work through him. He won't be proud of it. He'll see that I'm only using him because of his littleness and insignificance.'" From Heaven Comes All
On March 27, 1808, a grand performance of the Creation took place in Vienna, and the composer himself, Franz Joseph Haydn, who was seventy-six, was able to be in attendance. He was so old and feeble that he had to be wheeled into the theater in a chair. His presence aroused intense enthusiasm among the audience which could no longer be suppressed as the chorus and orchestra burst with full power into the passage, "And there was light." Amid the tumult of the enraptured audience the old composer was seen striving to raise himself. Once on his feet, he mustered up all his strength, and in reply to the applause of the audience, cried out as loudly as he was able, "No, no! Not from me, but," pointing to heaven, "from thence-from heaven above-comes all!" He then fell back on his chair, faint and exhausted, and had to be carried out of the room. What a humble acknowledgment for a great musician to make.
True leadership requires surrendering control and trusting one person to guide.
In the horse and buggy days, a man was driving with his wife along a dangerous road. At a very narrow place the wife became frightened and seized the rein nearest to her. Her husband quietly passed her the other rein and let go. Then more frightened than ever she said, "Oh, don't you let go!" He answered, "Two people cannot drive one and the same horse; either I must drive or you must." Then she gave him the reins and he drove safely past the danger.
In God's presence, all people are equal regardless of social status or background.
It is related that once when the Duke of Wellington remained to take communion at his parish church, a very poor old man went up the opposite aisle, and reaching the communion table, knelt down close by the side of the Duke. Someone came and touched the poor man on the shoulder, and whispered to him to move farther away, or to rise and wait until the Duke had received the bread and wine. But the eagle eye and the quick ear of the great commander caught the meaning of that touch and that whisper. He clasped the old man's hand and held it to prevent his rising; and in a reverential undertone but most distinctly, said, "Do not move; we are all equal here." The Converted Hindu
"I am by birth," said a converted Hindu, "of an insignificant and contemptible caste; so low, that if a Brahmin should chance to touch me, he must go and bathe in the Ganges to purify himself. Yet God has been pleased to call me, not merely to the knowledge of the gospel, but to the high office of teaching it to others." Then addressing a number of his countrymen, "My friends, do you know the reason of God's conduct? It is this: If God had selected one of you learned Brahmins and made you the preacher, when you were successful in making converts, people would say it was the amazing learning of the Brahmin, and his great weight of character, that were the cause. But now, when anyone is convinced by my instrumentality, no one thinks of ascribing any of the praise to me; God gets all the glory."
God's audience is greater than any earthly crowd, calling for humble service.
The open-air theater in ancient Corinth attracted great crowds of people. The people who played in the theater were often quite famous. In our day we call them stars. Popularity and theater performances are almost synonymous. Paul told the Corinthians that God's theater is larger than theirs-that it extends under the vault of heaven. But the apostles were not leading the lives of popular theatrical stars. Their lives were not rich or famous. They were last on the social and economic ladder. Yet they performed with an audience larger than those who were swimming in pleasure. They had an audience above as well as an audience before them. Angels from above watched them, and men from every walk of life.
Mary gave glory to God rather than herself, exemplifying true humility.
On one occasion an orchestra presented Handel's "Messiah" so beautifully that the applause was thunderous, and everyone turned toward the composer. Handel stood up and with his finger pointing upward, silently indicated that the glory should be given to God rather than to himself. This is exactly what the Virgin Mary did as she talked to Elizabeth. It is as if she were saying, "Don't praise me, but magnify the Lord who is my Savior."
True ministry honors God by increasing Christ's prominence and decreasing self.
A minister who had to move to an obscure country parish in England because of ill health never gained acceptance among the villagers whom he sought to serve. Being unable to do much work, he procured a preacher from Wales who attracted large congregations. His family was a little jealous of this unexpected preference, but he rebuked them. "Take me to hear him," he said. "God honors him, and I will honor him. Have you ever studied that text, 'He must increase, but I must decrease'? 'A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven.' " How many preachers would be able to accept a more popular man in their pulpit in that spirit?
True humility before God comes from recognizing our own vileness apart from Him.
Moody used to say, "You can always tell when a man is a great way from God-he is always talking about himself, how good he is. But the moment he sees God by the eye of faith, he is down on his knees, and like Job, he cries, 'Behold, I am vile.' " This is not an easy realization to come to-to see that while you may be morally clean you are vile in your own self-righteousness. A Great Man
One of the finest descriptions of a magnanimous man is Emerson's brief characterization of Abraham Lincoln: "His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong."
Self-centeredness distorts our view of others and hinders true Christian humility.
My idea of visitation: everybody come to see me.
My idea of sympathy: everybody suffering with me.
My idea of a sinner: the man for whom I have a great dislike.
My idea of a meek man: the man who yields to me.
My idea of a contentious man: the man who takes issue with me.
My idea of a wise man: the man who listens to me.
My idea of unity: everybody agreeing with me.
My idea of cooperation: everybody working with me.
My idea of a good sermon: one that fits and hits everybody but me.
Focusing on self leads to misery; humility and sober judgment bring peace.
Use "I" as often as possible.
Always be sensitive to slights.
Be jealous and envious.
Think only about yourself.
Talk only about yourself.
Trust no one.
Never forget a criticism.
Always expect to be appreciated.
Be suspicious.
Listen greedily to what others say about you.
Look for faults in others.
Shirk your duties if you can.
Do as little as possible for others.
Never forget a service you may have rendered.
Sulk if people are not grateful for your favors.
Insist on consideration and respect.
Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
Always look for a good time.
Love yourself first.
Be selfish at all times! Of Lice and Men
Human beings have a huge capacity for self-delusion. The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, wrote a famous poem about this entitled "To A Louse (On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet at Church)." In the poem he pictures a woman, strutting to church decked out in frills and finery, convinced that she is cutting a grand figure. But the sophisticated image she aims for is spoiled by a pesky louse crawling through the lace of her bonnet! The poem closes with some memorable lines (somewhat translated):
"O, that some Power the gift would give us
To see ourselves as others see us!"
What could we need more? The Bible urges: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment" (Romans 12:3 NIV).
In order to see ourselves realistically we must "In humility receive the implanted word...." (James 1:21). Then we must use that word as a mirror in order to see our true spiritual condition and change what needs changing (James 1:23-25).
True Christianity means:
SERVE, even when we are not being served.
LOVE, even when we may not be loved.
HELP, even when we have not been helped.
GIVE, even when we have not received.
PLEASE, even if others do not please us.
Self-righteousness narrows perspective; stepping back reveals God's wider work.
A stern old saint used to bemoan the wickedness of the world which to her was going from bad to worse. She seemed to be obsessed with the idea that, except for herself and her own circle of friends, no one else was saved. She stood so close to the mirror of life that she and her immediate surroundings dominated the view. Had she only stepped back or to one side, she would have had a much better perspective of life as a whole. Another Christian saw in the mirror all the wonderful manifestations of the working of God, news of which seemed to be reaching her from every quarter-from the slums, from the mission field, from all the darkened corners of the earth where light was dawning. How poor life seems to be when it is only a shadowy background to the all-absorbing form of self. How glorious when we step out of the picture and let the larger landscape sweep into view.
True virtue is modest and quietly evident, unlike prideful showiness that is soon forgotten.
"Laden boughs hang low. The nettle mounteth above its fellow weeds, but the violet lieth shrouded under its leaves, and is only found out by its own scent." Walking one day by a stream we were conscious of a delicious perfume, and only then did we perceive the little blue eyes which were looking up to us so meekly from the ground on which we stood. Virtue is always modest, and modesty is itself a virtue. He who is discovered by his real excellence, and not by his egotistical advertisement of his own perfections, is a man worth knowing: the other is a mere nettle who is sure to be forgotten, unless indeed his blustering pride should sting some tender spirit, and secure a wretched kind of remembrance. O that I may ever be more gracious than I seem to be. Never may it be any concern of mine to be observed of men, and yet let me so live that I need not fear to be read and known of all.
Pride is weakness, while true strength comes from humility and dependence on God.
"Certainly a proud spirit is no great spirit, any more than a swollen arm can be accounted to be strong." Many mistakes are made on this matter both as to men and language. Boasters are by foolish persons reckoned at their declared value: no mistake can be greater, a proud spirit is of necessity small and mean in the judgment of truth. Language is thought to be forcible because it is hard, severe, and blustering; and yet there is little power in such speaking except to provoke opposition and furnish motives and weapons for the opposer. Judge, then, between swelling and strength: avoid the one and prudently aim at the other. True humility is beloved of God, and he ever comes to its aid. I must be less and less in my own esteem if I would have power with God and prevalence with men. It seemeth not so, and yet so it is. Lord, write the lesson on my heart.
Examples of absent-mindedness show human frailty and the need for humility.
Mr. Lawson once left his lecture-room, taking with him a student's hat, instead of his own book, which he was to carry home. Once he was on the point of leaving his house, having put on his head a lady's bonnet, which had been left hanging on the peg where his own hat ought to have been. Once, walking in a copious shower, a friend took pity on him and loaned him an umbrella, which the meditative divine put under his coat, through fear of wetting and thus injuring what had been kindly loaned to him. While intent on his books, his frightened servant opened his study door, and shrieked out abruptly, "Sir, the house is on fire!" The doctor did not intermit his studies for a minute, but simply remarked, "Go and tell your mistress: you know I have no charge of household matters."
Pretending to have qualities we lack makes us more ridiculous than having them.
We are never rendered so ridiculous by qualities which we have, as by those which we aim at, or affect to have. From the French.
Attributing all excellence to Christ shows humility and honors Him as Master.
If I were a pupil of Titian, and he should design my picture, and sketch it for me, and look over my work every day, and make suggestions, and then, when I had exhausted my skill, he should take the brush and give the finishing touches, bringing out a part here and there, and making the whole glow with beauty, and then I should hang it upon the wall and call it mine, what a meanness it would be! When life is the picture, and Christ is the Designer and Master, what greater meanness is it to allow all the excellences to be attributed to our selves! Beecher.
A noble Christian values fellowship with the poor, showing humility and brotherhood.
A pious man of rank was in the habit of associating intimately with pious poor people. A worldly friend of his rallied him on the subject of his
# BROTHERHOOD.
associates, and expressed his surprise. The noble Christian man replied, that, as he could hardly hope to enjoy so elevated a rank as they in a future world, he knew not why he should despise them in the present.
Charity is humble, cheerful giving to those helpless and worthy of help.
CHARITY, Emblem of The Egyptian hieroglyphic representing charity is a naked child, with a heart in his hand, giving honey to a bee without wings. The child represents the humility of charity; the heart in its hand, the cheerfulness of charity; giving honey to a bee without wings, the worthiness and helplessness of the object of charity.
Even the best creatures have flaws, teaching believers humility about their sinfulness.
God hath so ordered it in nature, that creatures of the greatest excellency should have some manifest deformity, whether it be in birds or beasts, — among birds, the peacock, a bird of the gayest feathers, yet it hath the foulest feet; the swan, a bird of the whitest feathers, yet of the blackest skin; the eagle, a bird of the quickest sight, and of the highest flight, yet the most ravenous among birds; and, among beasts, the lion, the goodliest of all the woods, yet the most fierce and cruel: thus God hath ordered it even amongst the creatures irrational: and thus it is with his own people in respect of grace, so that they are brought to judge themselves the least of saints, and greatest of sinners. Spencer.
Criticism can miss the true value and beauty of God's work.
Conceited. Michael Angelo was requested by the Gonfaloniere Soderini at Florence, to undertake to form a statue out of a misshapen block on which Simon da Fiesole had before been unsuccessfully employed in endeavoring to represent a giant in marble. He accepted the commission, and succeeded in producing the beautiful figure known under the name of the David, and which now stands in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The statue being finished, the Gonfaloniere came to inspect his purchase, and, among other criticisms which he made, objected to the nose; and added, that he wished some reduction should take place in its size. Angelo mounted the scaffold, and, giving a few harmless blows on the stone, let fall a handful of marble dust which he had scraped up from the floor below, and then, descending from his station, turned to the Gonfaloniere with a look expectant of his approbation. "Ay," exclaimed the sagacious critic, "this is excellent: now you have given it life indeed."
Pride leads to downfall and loss of gifts, exemplified by the poet Tamyris's blindness.
There was a young Grecian poet who was so much praised by the people, that he became exceedingly vain, and thought himself superior to Hesiod, and other masters of song. He visited Plato, and began to praise his own performances, when the philosopher addressed him: "Tamyris, the graceful poet of Thrace, came to King Eurytus, who rewarded him magnificently for his songs, and honored him as the favorite of the Muses. This spoiled him; and he boasted that he would gain the victory if the Muses themselves were his rivals. The Muses chastised his presumption, smote him with blindness, and took away his gift of song. He destroyed himself: his arrogance induced his blindness and punishment. The Muses made the soul of Tamyris enter into a nightingale. Her form is the simplest and least beautiful: she hides herself in the dark grove, and loves best to pour forth her song in the silence of night. She knows not that the soul of a Tamyris dwells in her gentle bosom." The youth, filled with anger, left the philosopher; and his name is not now known among the bards of Hellas.
A humble reply acknowledges human frailty despite others' flattering words.
When the French ambassador visited Lord Bacon in his last illness, and found him in bed, with the curtains drawn, he addressed this compliment to him: "You are like the angels, of whom we read and hear much, but have not the pleasure of seeing them." The reply was the sentiment of a philosopher, and not unworthy of a Christian: "If the complaisance of others compares me to an angel, my infirmities tell me I am a man."
Constantine rejected flattery and sought to be a servant of God instead.
A flattering priest told Constantine the Great, that his virtues deserved the empire of the world here, and to reign with the Son of God hereafter. The emperor cried, "Fie, fiel for shame! let me hear no more such unseemly speeches; but, rather, suppliantly pray to my almighty Maker, that, in this line and the life to come, I may be reckoned worthy to be his servant."
Boasting about kindness can cause more harm than the original help.
A friend of Cæsar's had preserved a certain man from the tyranny of the triumvirate proscription, and talked so much about it, that the poor man exclaimed, "Restore me up to Cæsar again! I had rather undergo a thousand deaths than be continually upbraided by thee with my life." Spencer.
Human greatness is fragile and empty apart from dependence on God’s sustaining power.
A person who had been up in a balloon was asked whether he did not find it very hot when he got so near to the sun. This is a vulgar notion of greatness. People fancy they shall get near the sun if they can but discover or devise some trick to lift them from the ground. Nor would it be difficult to point out sundry analogies between these bladders from the wind-vaults of Aeolus, and the means and implements by which men attempt to raise themselves. All, however, that can be effected in this way, is happily altogether insignificant. The farther we are borne above the plain of common humanity, the colder it grows. We swell out till we are nigh to bursting; and manifold experience teaches us, that our human strength, like that of Autens, becomes weakness as soon as we are severed from the refreshing and renovating breast of our mighty mother. Hare.
Even great men forget their achievements, showing human frailty and humility.
Sir Isaac Newton, that wonderful scholar, of whom it is said that he "surpassed the whole human race in genius," upon being requested in his declining years to explain some passage on his chief mathematical work, could only reply, that "he knew it was true once." It is also said of that celebrated military commander the first Duke of Marlborough, when the history of his own campaigns were read to him to beguile the glorious hours in the evening of life, and wholly unconscious of his own part in the matter, would exclaim from time to time, "Who commanded?"
An officer burns flax before the emperor to remind him that worldly honor is fleeting.
It was a custom in Rome, that when the emperor went out upon some grand day in all his imperial pomp, there was an officer appointed to burn flax before him, crying out, "Sie transit gloria mundi;" which was done to put him in mind that all his honor and grandeur should soon vanish away like the smoke from the burning flax.
Humiliation is the root from which true joy and spiritual growth arise.
Our humiliations work out our most elevated joys. The way that a drop of rain comes to sing in the leaf that rustles in the top of the tree all summer long is by going down to the roots first, and from thence ascending to the bough.
— Beecher
Repeated humiliation can lead to genuine humility and greater spiritual strength.
When Robert Hall first appeared to address an audience in public, he discoursed for a few minutes with great propriety and eloquence; and then his ideas all seemed to desert him, and he was forced to cover his face with his hands, and sit down in unutterable confusion. A second attempt was equally unsuccessful on the following week. "If this does not humble me," he remarked on retiring to his room, "the Devil must have me." Afterwards it was often remarked that he was as noted for his humility as for his great eloquence and power in the pulpit. S. S. Times.
Humility creates room for grace to rest and grow within the heart.
Those showers of grace that slide off from the lofty mountains rest on the valleys, and make them fruitful. He giveth grace to the lowly; he loves to bestow it where there is most room to receive it, and most return of ingenuous and entire praises upon the receipt. Such is the humble heart; and, truly, as much humility gains much grace, so it grows by it. Leighton.
Paul's growing humility shows spiritual maturity and recognition of his unworthiness.
It has been remarked, that in A.D. 59, soon after Paul was converted, he declared himself "unworthy to be called an apostle." As time rolled on, and he grew in grace, in A.D. 64, he cried out, "I am less than the least of all saints;" and just before his martyrdom, when he had reached the stature of a perfect man in Christ, in A.D. 65, his exclamation was, "I am the chief of sinners."
Recognizing our lack of humility is itself a reason to be humble.
Could I bear to be the author of a treatise which should be the means of enlightening and converting thousands, and be without the credit of it, or see it given to another? It is cause enough for humility to know that we are not humble.
— Rev. T. Adam
A humble Christian is like a lowly flower receiving God's glory and spreading sweetness.
Jonathan Edwards describes a Christian as being like "such a little flower as we see in the spring of the year, low and humble on the ground; opening its bosom to receive the pleasant beams of the sun's glory; rejoicing, as it were, in a calm rapture; diffusing around a sweet fragrance; standing peacefully and lowly in the midst of other flowers."
True worth is found in humble hearts, not in proud outward appearances.
A farmer went with his son into a wheat-field to see if it was ready for the harvest. "See, father," exclaimed the boy, "how straight these stems hold up their heads! They must be the best ones. Those that hang their heads down I am sure cannot be good for much." The farmer plucked a stalk of each kind, and said, "See here, foolish child! This stalk that stood so straight is light-headed, and almost good for nothing, while this that hung its head so modestly is full of the most beautiful grain."
Remembering one's lowly past fosters lifelong humility and gratitude for God's provision.
It is said that every child found begging in the streets of Munich is arrested, and carried to a charitable institution. The moment he enters the place, before he is washed and clothed anew, his portrait is painted in his ragged dress, precisely as he was found begging. When his education is finished in the establishment, his portrait is given to him; and he promises, by an oath, to keep it all his life, in order that he may be reminded of the abject condition from which he has been rescued, and of his obligations to the institution which saved him from misery, and gave him the means by which he might avoid it in future.
Great leaders and thinkers exemplify humility by acknowledging their limitations and lowliness.
The wisest of all the philosophers made this profession: "This I know, that I know nothing." Origen, the most learned of all the Greek fathers, made this confession: "I am not ignorant of my own ignorance." And the most judicious of all the Latin fathers was the humblest; for, in his heat of contention with Jerome, he acknowledgeth him his better. Though the dignity of a bishop exceed that of a priest, yet Priest Jerome is greater than Bishop Augustine. Theodosius was the noblest of all the Roman emperors: his motto was, "Malo membrum esse ecclesia quam caput imperii;" it was greater honor to him to be a member of the church than the head of the empire. And Paul, though nothing inferior to the chief of the apostles, yet was least in his own eyes. Thus it was, that, like the sun in the zenith, they showed least when they were at the highest; like vessels, they made the least sound when they were fullest; or, like the deepest waters, they ran most silently. In the weighing of gold, the lightest pieces rise up; but the weighty bear down the scale: and, surely, they are but light that are lifted up with a self-conceit, but shallow waters that make a noise, but empty vessels that make a sound. And such are all they that are wise in their own conceits, — such as think they can dispute de omni icibili; that they move in a circle of knowledge, when they know little or nothing at all.
— Spencer
True humility involves letting Christ increase and ourselves decrease in spiritual life.
I charge you, be clothed with humility, or you will yet be a wandering star, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Let Christ increase, let man decrease. Remember, "Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone." Looking at our own shining face is the bane of the spiritual life, and of the ministry. Oh for closest communion with God, till soul and body, head and heart, shine with divine brilliancy! But oh for a holy ignorance of their shining! M. Cheyne.
