Video Ministries

True Humility

God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty . . . that no flesh should glory in his presence. 1 Cor. 1:27-29.

After the ascension of Jesus, doctors, lawyers, priests, rulers, scribes,
and theologians listened with astonishment to words of wisdom and power from
unlearned and humble men. These wise men marveled at the success of the
lowly disciples, and finally accounted for it to their own satisfaction from
the fact that they had been with Jesus and learned of Him. Their character
and the simplicity of their teachings were similar to the character and
teachings of Christ. . . .

Those who teach unpopular truth today must have power from on high to
combine with their doctrine, or their efforts will be of little account. The
precious grace of humility is sadly wanting in the ministry and the church.
Men who preach the truth think too highly of their own abilities. True
humility will lead a man to exalt Christ and the truth, and to realize his
utter dependence upon the God of truth. It is painful to learn lessons of
humility, yet nothing is more beneficial in the end. The pain attendant upon
learning lessons of humility is in consequence of our being elated by a
false estimate of ourselves, so that we are unable to see our great need.
Vanity and pride fill the hearts of men. God's grace alone can work a
reformation.

It is your work . . . to humble yourself and not wait for God to humble you.
God's hand at times bears heavily upon men to humble them and bring them
into a proper position before Him; but how much better it is to keep the
heart daily humbled before God. We can abase ourselves, or we can build
ourselves up in pride and wait till God abases us. . . .

In order to comprehend the truth, you should discipline and train the mind,
and seek continually to possess the graces of genuine piety. You scarcely
know what this is now. When Christ is in you, you will have something more
than a theory of the truth. You will not only be repeating the lessons
Christ gave when upon the earth, but you will be educating others by your
life of self-denial and devotion to the cause of God. Your life will be a
living sermon, possessing greater power than any discourse given in the
desk.

You need to cultivate in yourself that unselfish spirit, that self-denying
grace and pure devotion, which you wish to see others carry out in their
lives. In order to continually increase in spiritual intelligence, and to
become more and more efficient, you need to cultivate habits of usefulness
in the minor duties lying in your pathway. You must not wait for
opportunities to do a great work, but seize the first chance to prove
yourself faithful in that which is least, and you may thus work your way up
from one position of trust to another (Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 378-380).

>From Lift Him Up - Page 282

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