Evening, April 5
Go To Morning Reading
“Before honour is humility.”
Proverbs 15:33
Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it . If we empty our hearts of self, God will fill them with his love.
He who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word
of the Lord, “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Stoop if you would climb to heaven. Do we not say of Jesus, “He descended that he might ascend?” So must you. You must grow downwards, that you may grow upwards;
for the sweetest fellowship with heaven is to be had by humble souls,
and by them alone. God will deny no blessing to a thoroughly humbled
spirit. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” with all its riches and treasures. The whole exchequer of God shall
be made over by deed of gift to the soul which is humble enough to
be able to receive it without growing proud because of it. God blesses
us all up to the full measure and extremity of what it is safe for
him to do. If you do not get a blessing, it is because it is not safe
for you to have one. If our heavenly Father were to let your unhumbled
spirit win a victory in his holy war, you would pilfer the crown for
yourself, and meeting with a fresh enemy you would fall a victim;
so that you are kept low for your own safety. When a man is sincerely
humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise,
there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him. Humility
makes us ready to be blessed by the God of all grace, and fits us
to deal efficiently with our fellow men. True humility is a flower
which will adorn any garden. This is a sauce with which you may season
every dish of life, and you will find an improvement in every case.
Whether it be prayer or praise, whether it be work or suffering, the
genuine salt of humility cannot be used in excess.