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· 7,010 ratings · 587 reviews

Start your review of Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness

Jan 17, 2008 Kristi rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone, but especially those in ministry

This is a powerful book for me, and I've read it several times. Murray (a late 19th c. pastor, very Christ-centered) writes, "When I look back at my own religious experience, or on the Church of Christ in the world, I stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus." This book is both convicting as to my own lack of humility and encouraging, making humility seem very enticing. Humility is "the mark of a soul that has s This is a powerful book for me, and I've read it several times. Murray (a late 19th c. pastor, very Christ-centered) writes, "When I look back at my own religious experience, or on the Church of Christ in the world, I stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus." This book is both convicting as to my own lack of humility and encouraging, making humility seem very enticing. Humility is "the mark of a soul that has seen the glory of God (Job 42:5-6; Is. 6:5" -- now, who doesn't want that?! Murray knows that it is God who humbles us and not something that we do -- but having a good perspective on humility makes it easier to accept what God is doing, I think. ...more

The fact that I'm "finished" with this book should not by any means be interpreted to mean that I'm "finished" with respect to humility. In fact, this book quickly convinced me that I'm not even "started." That's worth knowing if nothing else, but Murray also provides a hopeful path forward for those who are starting to perceive their own need.

I think highly enough of Murray's Humility that I've started working on my own simplified-language edition, but don't wait for that to be done! Get the or

I think highly enough of Murray's Humility that I've started working on my own simplified-language edition, but don't wait for that to be done! Get the original and read it today. You just might find it rather life-changing.

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Mar 25, 2009 Jennifer Tse rated it it was amazing

This is a really amazing book about why being prideful is so terrible when we are Christians. It talks about the relationships between humility and holiness, sin, faith, death to self, happiness & exaltation. It also gives some wonderful examples about how Jesus displayed humility, as well as the examples of humility & lack of humility of his 12 disciples. There are so many important lessons here about being humble before God, but most importantly being humble in our everyday life among others. This is a really amazing book about why being prideful is so terrible when we are Christians. It talks about the relationships between humility and holiness, sin, faith, death to self, happiness & exaltation. It also gives some wonderful examples about how Jesus displayed humility, as well as the examples of humility & lack of humility of his 12 disciples. There are so many important lessons here about being humble before God, but most importantly being humble in our everyday life among others.

You could even read it online when you are bored or when you have a break from work: http://www.worldinvisible.com/library...

Favorite Quote: This gives us the answer to the question so often asked, and of which the meaning is so seldom clearly apprehended: How can I die to self? The death to self is not your work, it is God's work. In Christ you are dead to sin the life there is in you has gone through the process of death and resurrection; you may be sure you are indeed dead to sin. But the full manifestation of the power of this death in your disposition and conduct. depends upon the measure in which the Holy Spirit imparts the power of the death of Christ And here it is that the teaching is needed: if you would enter into full fellowship with Christ in His death, and know the full deliverance from self, humble yourself. This is your one duty. Place yourself before God in your utter helplessness; consent heartily to the fact of your impotence to slay or make alive yourself; sink down into your own nothingness, in the spirit of meek and patient and trustful surrender to God. Accept every humiliation,. look upon every fellow-man who tries or vexes you, as a means of grace to humble you. Use every opportunity of humbling' yourself before your fellow-men as a help to abide humble before God. God will accept such humbling of yourself as the proof that your whole heart desires it, as the very best prayer for it, as your preparation for His mighty work of grace, when, by the mighty strengthening of His Holy Spirit, He reveals Christ fully in you, so that He, in His form of a servant, is truly formed in you, and dwells in your heart. It is the path of humility which leads to perfect death, the full and perfect experience that we are dead in Christ. (Chapter 10)

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Aug 13, 2013 Juli Slattery rated it it was amazing

I read this book every six months. It's like a spiritual detox from all the self-help messages of the world. I read this book every six months. It's like a spiritual detox from all the self-help messages of the world. ...more

WOW! A fairly accurate indicator of how I enjoy and digest a book is how many quotes I keep. I picked up more of Murray's phrasing than I probably have from the last five books I have read. And this was a very short book.

He looks at humility as primarily a vertical issue, the major indicator of one's relationship with God. The likes of How to Win Friends and Influence People can teach the outward habits of seeming humility, but Murray is not so easily satisfied. Real humility, he argues, require

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So good. I'm going to re-read it immediately and chew on some of these thoughts a bit longer. So good. I'm going to re-read it immediately and chew on some of these thoughts a bit longer. ...more

Jun 22, 2021 J. Wootton rated it really liked it

Short, thorough, and outlook-altering. One of the very few books I've finished and immediately started rereading again. Murray critically examines humility from angles and at a depth unparalleled, arguing convincingly that humility is both the core and whole of the biblical messianic narrative.

Stylistically, modern readers may find Murray's English a challenge to unravel in places, which is unfortunate since his insights are sufficiently challenging in themselves. I believe there are "updated" versions available, or if you're not intimidated by 19th-century texts you can get the original from Project Gutenberg.

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This book was recommended to me by a close friend, who told me that if he could only get people to read one book other than the Bible, it would probably be this one. Naturally, I was impressed, and having now finished it, I can see why he felt that way.

To me, the greatest teaching books are the simplest ones, and this book is both simple, and extremely powerful. The author does not waste words (the book is quite short) but clearly and beautifully presents the truth that humility is the essential characteristic of the Christian life, and that pride stands as the one defiant obstacle to everything God wants to do in us, and through us. If we would be like Christ, there is one thing we must do every day of our lives on this earth, and that is to humble ourselves. God is near to the humble, but knows the proud afar off. Which of us hasn't prayed that God would be with us, without ever considering if we have met the basic qualification for that prayer to actually be answered?

I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of earth-shaking impact we could have as the Church, if every one of us would put into practice the principles taught in this book. I personally plan to reread it often, but more importantly, to make humility in my own life the object of earnest prayer and seeking.

"Here is the path to the higher life: down, lower down! Just as water always seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds men abased and empty, His glory and power flow in to exalt and to bless."
― Andrew Murray, Humility

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According to Murray, humility is the attribute that most Christians need but that most don't want. It's the "forgotten" virtue that enables us to be most like Christ. True humility involves dying to self and letting Christ live in you. A common misconception of "death to self" is that it annuls one's personality, but just the opposite is true. Murray says that the "death-life" enables us to be our true (as we were meant to be) selves because as we become less, we actually become more as Christ d According to Murray, humility is the attribute that most Christians need but that most don't want. It's the "forgotten" virtue that enables us to be most like Christ. True humility involves dying to self and letting Christ live in you. A common misconception of "death to self" is that it annuls one's personality, but just the opposite is true. Murray says that the "death-life" enables us to be our true (as we were meant to be) selves because as we become less, we actually become more as Christ dwells in us in His fullness. Throughout the book he makes references to the idea that the main attribute of Satan was pride and the main attribute of Christ was humility.

"When we see that humility is something infinitely deeper than regret [over past sins], and accept it as our participation in the life of Jesus, we will begin to learn that it is our true goodness. We will understand that being servants of all is the highest fulfillment of our destiny as men created in the image of God."

"Don't look at pride only as an unbecoming temper, nor at humility only as a decent virtue. The one is death, and the other is life."

This is a book to be read slowly, to savor and to pray over. Beside the Bible this has been one of the most influential books I've ever read. Simple yet life-changing truths.

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Classic, challenging, necessary.

This is an intense little book that is jam-packed with thought provoking passages. Don't plan on reading this quickly, but rather look forward to carefully considering and pondering what Murray has to offer. I don't know how I've missed out on Andrew Murray for so many years, but I'm glad I've finally discovered him! What a profound Christian thinker he was, and I'm so glad that his works are readily available today.

HUMILITY is all about just that topic: humbling oneself before God. It's a toug

HUMILITY is all about just that topic: humbling oneself before God. It's a tough subject because it faces head on the ugly struggle with pride that all of us battle daily, whether knowingly or unknowingly. But what Murray points out so deftly is that humility isn't about self-hatred, which is ironically just another iteration of a focus on self rather than God that ultimately has its root in the soil of pride; rather, it about taking the focus off of ourselves and fixing our gaze upon only God. True humility is realizing our smallness against the immensity of God. Murray beautifully illustrates this concept in the following imagistic passage: "It is only in the possession of God that I lose myself. As it is in the height and breadth and glory of the sunshine that the littleness of the mote playing in its beams is seen, even so humility is the taking our place in God's presence to be nothing but a mote dwelling in the sunlight of His love."

5 stars for a profound Christian classic. Those looking for a mind bending read that is truly life changing should pick HUMILITY up as soon as they can.

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Jul 20, 2013 Johnny rated it it was ok

There is, it seems to me, that there is a tension in the Bible between loving and accepting oneself and humbling/denying oneself. We are told on the one hand to love our neighbors as ourselves (implying that we DO love ourselves) and we are told on the other hand to deny ourselves and follow Christ (who denied Himself as co-equivalent with Father and Son in order to experience the indignity of human existence and death in disgrace). In Humility, the distinguished pastor/author of yesteryear, And There is, it seems to me, that there is a tension in the Bible between loving and accepting oneself and humbling/denying oneself. We are told on the one hand to love our neighbors as ourselves (implying that we DO love ourselves) and we are told on the other hand to deny ourselves and follow Christ (who denied Himself as co-equivalent with Father and Son in order to experience the indignity of human existence and death in disgrace). In Humility, the distinguished pastor/author of yesteryear, Andrew Murray, emphasizes the latter. He contends that "Self is the root, the branches, the tree, of all the evil of our fallen state." (p. 98) He recognizes that human arrogance with its refusal to focus on subjective needs and desires is the source of sin. So, he pounds hard on dealing with "self" in order to help the reader focus on Christ as our example of humility, humility which is, indeed, the root of the tree of goodness, obedience, and relationship with God in our lives (p. 18). And, "If humility is the root of the tree, its nature must be seen in every branch, leaf and fruit." (p. 19) That is, our lives and what we accomplish should point to what God did in Jesus and is doing in us at the present.

In expressing the example of Jesus, Murray points to a number of verses (particularly from the Gospel of John) which indicate that Jesus claimed to be able to do nothing without the intervention of the Father. This would serve to proclaim to God's people that they need God to accomplish anything. "Christ was nothing, that God might be all." (p. 23) That act of Jesus' will to insist on the Father as opposed to His own way was the key to power in the Incarnate Christ. The application for modern believers quickly follows: "…it is the knowledge that it is God who works all in all, that our place is to yield to Him in perfect resignation and dependence, in full consent to be and to do nothing of ourselves." (p. 24)

Here, I must once again interject a caveat. Murray is looking at the universal nature of pride, of human arrogance, and noting how important it is to put the totally-self-centered, totally self-aggrandizing, totally self-satisfied motivations of the self to "death" in order to follow our Lord, BUT we cannot go too far here in debasing the sculpture before we insult the Sculptor (perhaps, I should appeal more to Jeremiah and talk about deforming the pottery without insulting the Potter). The Creator God made humanity with potential and creativity. Certainly God wants to participate in helping us reach as much of that potential and creativity as possible. Indeed, that's why the preferred word for the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John seems to be "Paraclete," "the one calling alongside," the "coach," the "mentor." We need God's empowering presence, but that doesn't mean denying what God has done in making us. As the late Grady Nutt used to say, "I'm me and that's okay, cuz God don't make no junk!" Murray is making a valid point, but we shouldn't let that other insight be blotted out in self-deprecation.

Murray's book is useful, however, in pointing to God's topsy-turvy way of turning our expectations upside-down. It isn't always the smartest, the wealthiest, the most talented, or the one who makes the most effort in God's work who is blessed with success and collateral blessings. God chooses the unlikely to show us that no matter what potential or creativity we have, God is the power Who takes us "over the top." As Murray cleverly writes, "Humility is the only ladder to honor in God's Kingdom." (p. 29) He's right, but I truly believe he sometimes throws out God's seed plants with the weeds of self-centeredness equivalent to sinful arrogance.

Another problem with this little work was his indistinct view of the Trinity. He states that in the resurrection of Christ and, "In His ascension, He received the Spirit of the Father, through whom He might do what He could not do while on earth. Then He was able to make Himself one with those He loved, and actually live their life for them, so that they could live before the Father in a humility like His, because it was He Himself who lived and breathed in them." (p. 39) I know the understanding of the unity of the Trinity is an impossible concept for humans to get their heads around, but this seems like a gross oversimplification where the Holy Spirit's role as Paraclete, coach, and mentor is reduced to being the "battery power" for the Son.
Much as I have always admired Murray, I think this treads dangerously toward heresy in making the Holy Spirit less than wholly God. Jesus taught that a separate encounter with God was coming as a "Comforter." That didn't mean that Jesus was coming back with more "battery power." I hope this doesn't offend anyone; I'm just bothered by what appears to be disrespect for the work of the Holy Spirit in an author who is famous for his teaching on the Holy Spirit. It seems inconsistent.

I do appreciate his emphasis on humility in daily life: "Our humility before God has no value, except that it prepares us to reveal the humility of Jesus to our fellow men." (p. 45) "The one infallible test of our holiness will be the humility before God and men which marks us." (p. 51) Murray even talks about how one's consciousness of having sinned in the past and being vulnerable to sinning again that keeps one truly humble (p. 64). That rings very, very true from my personal experience.

In spite of my concerns with this book, I find myself in gratitude for an insight shared in the latter pages of Humility: "All God's dealings with man are characterized by two stages. There is the time of preparation, when command and promise—with the mingled experience of effort and inability, of failure and partial success, with the holy expectation of something better which these awaken—train and discipline men for a higher stage. Then comes the time of fulfillment, when faith inherits the promise and enjoys what it had so often struggled for in vain." (pp. 90-91)

To be honest, Humility isn't as good as I remembered from reading portions a while ago. It is worth reading as a corrective for believers who think that they can accomplish a lot for God instead of by means of God's presence and power. Theologically, it has helpful insights that veer dangerously toward logical boundaries that I'm sure Pastor Murray didn't intend to cross. I hope I haven't poisoned the idea of this book, merely warned of possible excesses.

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Jun 07, 2012 Patrice Tyler rated it it was amazing

No one wants to think of him/herself as an arrogant, prideful, conceited person, but after reading this book, one will have no other choice, but to admit that the "number one virtue" eludes our understanding. The one thing the body of Christ needs to imitate is the one thing we refuse to practice...humility. The bragging, overlooking each other and boasting is idolatry.

I have shared this book with several friends. Their responses were staggering...no comments. Nothing was said after they claime

I have shared this book with several friends. Their responses were staggering...no comments. Nothing was said after they claimed they read the book. Nothing. When I read this book I had to read it in small doses. Not because it was difficult to read the words, but that it was difficult to swallow the words...they burned as they went down. But, like a good medicine, this book healed and delivered me from the original and often discounted sin of pride! Read it if you dare because you dare not not to read it!

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Jul 05, 2013 Julia rated it it was amazing

"Humility: the Beauty of Holiness" is a powerful little book; less than 100 pages long, but full to overflowing with awesome insights into one of the Christian's most over-looked character qualities. One of the most convicting quotes for me is "...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 insignificances of daily life are the importances and the tests of eternity, becau "Humility: the Beauty of Holiness" is a powerful little book; less than 100 pages long, but full to overflowing with awesome insights into one of the Christian's most over-looked character qualities. One of the most convicting quotes for me is "...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 insignificances of daily life are the importances and the tests of eternity, because they prove what really is the spirit that possesses us." I will definitely be rereading this several times over.

I listened to "Humility: the Beauty of Holiness" by Andrew Murray as a free download from Librivox.org, and you can find the text free online at many sites, including http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_H...

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Jan 12, 2021 Caleb Todd rated it it was amazing

I need to read 'Humility' every year for the rest of my life to keep the joy of being nothing—that God might be all— in front of me, lest I swerve.

4 stars. A fantastic Christian class. Inspiring and contemplative. Review to come.

May 29, 2018 Sally rated it really liked it

Small, powerful book on humility—what it is, why we should have it. Murray says it is the fundamental virtue for all Christians. This makes sense to me, because I see how its antithesis, pride, is the root of so much sin.

Reading this book has helped me be more alert to opportunities to die to myself and put others first. I have a long way to go, but this was a good help!

Jan 27, 2020 Luke Jaggers rated it it was amazing

Thought-provoking, wonderful exhortation. Murray has a gifted ability to synthesise material for all, the layperson and intellect alike. Myself being the layman.

May 31, 2021 Ada Tarcau rated it it was amazing

I cannot begin to express how powerful this little book is. I could only manage a page or two at a time, it is the kind of book where you want to highlight & memorise every sentence, let it sink deep and pray through it.
It is very convicting (I guess there was at least one moment per chapter that left me staring exposed in an pauline-sort of cry of anguish: "oh, what inescapable pride possesses me, who will deliver me from this mind bent on self-seeking, glory-seeking, arrogance, haughtiness, v I cannot begin to express how powerful this little book is. I could only manage a page or two at a time, it is the kind of book where you want to highlight & memorise every sentence, let it sink deep and pray through it.
It is very convicting (I guess there was at least one moment per chapter that left me staring exposed in an pauline-sort of cry of anguish: "oh, what inescapable pride possesses me, who will deliver me from this mind bent on self-seeking, glory-seeking, arrogance, haughtiness, vain deceit (and the rest of the host)").
But it is also soul-lifting and hopeful: it does make humility look so splendid, so desirable, the one pearl that's worth it all, the answer you've been needing your whole life (i guess there were at least as many moments that left me in an eager joyfulness: "that's it! That is exactly what I have been looking for!" and awe: "wow... even Jesus had it... he alone truly had it!… [jaw-dropping] He FULLY had it!").
And, best of news, it is not the fruit of my effort but the fruit of gazing at God's glory, God's grace "it is not sin that humbles most, but grace, and […] it is the soul, led through its sinfulness to be occupied with God in His wonderful glory as God, as Creator and Redeemer, that will truly take the lowest place before Him." and humility is "the mark of a soul that has seen the glory of God ".

I love how forcibly the author draws out the teachings from very deep, powerful bible verses. The selection of bible passages and verses alone are worth the book.

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I wanted to put my favourite passages here, but the review would be as long as a booklet.
So I will try to make a very very harsh selection:

The passages about Jesus overwhelmed me:
"The humility we see in Him possessed Him in heaven; it brought Him, He brought it, from there." and shows this very powerfully in His life, in His teaching, in His ministry, in His declarations from John's gospel ( "not Mine… nothing from Myself… not I… but My Father's will, words, deeds, glory, commission"), in beautiful bible verses about Christ. "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. … the meek and lowly Lamb of God." "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? "

Some definitions of humility:
= to be with his will, his mind, and his affections, the form, the vessel in which the life and glory of = the displacement of self by the enthronement of God , disappearance of self in the vision that God is all

About pride
- the cause and essence of the fall: "Pride can degrade the highest angels into devils, and humility raise fallen flesh and blood to the thrones of angels" (Humility: the means of risen new creation)
-"Look not at pride only as an unbecoming temper, nor at humility only as a decent virtue: for the one is death, and the other is life; the one is all hell, the other is all heaven. So much as you have of pride within you, you have of the fallen angels alive in you; so much as you have of true humility, so much you have of the Lamb of God within you."
- "all want of love, all indifference to the needs, the feelings, the weakness of others; all sharp and hasty judgments and utterances, so often excused under the plea of being outright and honest; all manifestations of temper and touchiness and irritation; all feelings of bitterness and estrangement, have their root in nothing but pride, that ever seeks itself."

  Just to give a taste of the powerful use of bible passages to make a point:
about humility in daily life (before others):
 "To the Romans He writes: "In honor preferring one another"; "Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to those that are lowly." "Be not wise in your own conceit." To the Corinthians: "Love," and there is no love without humility as its root, "vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not its own, is not provoked." To the Galatians: "Through love be servants one of another. Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another." To the Ephesians, immediately after the three wonderful chapters on the heavenly life: "Therefore, walk with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love"; "Giving thanks always, subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ." To the Philippians: "Doing nothing through faction or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, each counting other better than himself. Have the mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and humbled Himself." And to the Colossians: "Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, long- suffering, forebearing one another, and forgiving each other, even as the Lord forgave you."

 About holiness
There is none holy but God: we have as much of holiness as we have of God. And according to what we have of God will be our real humility, because humility is nothing but the disappearance of self in the vision that God is all. The holiest will be the humblest.
"Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not its own." Where the spirit of love is shed abroad in the heart, where the divine nature comes to a full birth where Christ the meek and lowly Lamb of God is truly formed within, there is given the power of a perfect love that forgets itself and finds its blessedness in blessing others, in bearing with them and honoring them, however feeble they be.

About grace
"It is the revelation of God, not only by the law condemning sin but by His grace delivering from it, that will make us humble. The law may break the heart with fear; it is only grace that works that sweet humility which becomes a joy to the soul as its second nature.
Not to be occupied with thy sin, but to be occupied with God, brings deliverance from self."

Leaving all to follow Him:
"The one true way of dying to self is the way of patience, meekness, humility, and resignation to God… because this inclination of your heart to sink down in patience, meekness, humility, and resignation to God, is truly giving up all that you are and all that you have from fallen Adam, it is perfectly leaving all you have to follow Christ; it is your highest act of faith in Him. Christ is nowhere but in these virtues; when they are there, He is in His own kingdom. … 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."

Being a vessel:
"The highest honor for any man or woman is to be a vessel, to receive and enjoy and demonstrate God's glory. We can be that vessel only if we are willing to be nothing in ourselves so that God can be Everything for us. Water always fills the lowest places first. The lower and emptier a man bows before God, the quicker and fuller the inflow of God's glory will be. "

Humility -> exaltation
"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in His good time He will honor you." Jesus Himself is all the proof we need that these words are true. He is the guarantee that God will make good on this promise. Let us take His yoke on us and learn from Him, for He is humble and gentle. If we are just willing to lower ourselves for His sake, the way He lowered Himself for ours, He will bend down again, and we will find ourselves equally yoked with Him. As we enter deeper into the fellowship of His humility, we can count on Him. Whether we are humbling ourselves before others or being humbled by them, the Spirit of His honor, "the Spirit of our Glorious God," will rest on us."

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Absolutely one of the top books of the year so far for me. Absolutely earth shatteringly profound and beautiful. This is a sheer classic in spiritual formation.

10/10

This is such a convicting book, and the message it carries is soooo not popular in this society. I think the "self-esteem" "self-congratulations", and "self-love" philosophies that are so popular today have silently crept into my thinking, even though I'm quick to make fun of any program or show that promotes those ideals. The whole idea that of "blessed nothingness" is hard to grasp, but it was a major message of Christ when He was on earth. He talked so much about being the servant of others, This is such a convicting book, and the message it carries is soooo not popular in this society. I think the "self-esteem" "self-congratulations", and "self-love" philosophies that are so popular today have silently crept into my thinking, even though I'm quick to make fun of any program or show that promotes those ideals. The whole idea that of "blessed nothingness" is hard to grasp, but it was a major message of Christ when He was on earth. He talked so much about being the servant of others, He continually talked about His Father, not Himself, He demonstrated humility in his actions towards others, and yet, I hardly ever hear this topic addressed. I wish more of us Christians could strive towards humility and lose ourselves in Christ - then we might find how much we really can accomplish for Christ when we don't have our own selfish ambitions, selfish needs, and selfish goals to live for. ...more

"Humility " by Andrew Murray doesn't talk about humility, but rather he shows it, using our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The humility Christ displayed during His earthly ministry obviously goes unsurpassed. He who knew no sin, but became sin for us, His life, reading this book is convicting.
The opposite of which was the downfall of all human kind, yet God gave us a way out. The book is eye opening, displaying to the reader what a struggle pride is for all of us.
It left me recognizing in my o "Humility " by Andrew Murray doesn't talk about humility, but rather he shows it, using our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The humility Christ displayed during His earthly ministry obviously goes unsurpassed. He who knew no sin, but became sin for us, His life, reading this book is convicting.
The opposite of which was the downfall of all human kind, yet God gave us a way out. The book is eye opening, displaying to the reader what a struggle pride is for all of us.
It left me recognizing in my own self how much l have to grow in this area. God never requires in us anything for which He does not provides a means.
It is not a book the reader readers, only to lay it down, never to pick it up again. It is one worth reading repeatedly. Humility is a character quality upon which we must seek strength dependence from God, always growing in. This book serves as a great tool to move in this direction. ...more

Andrew Murray has repetitively been an author I'll read during a spiritual retreat. He keeps me on the rails, and corrects blind spots that I've ignored.

I think the key message I got out of this book was to look at opposition as an opportunities to not take myself so seriously, to prefer others over myself, and allow space for Jesus to vindicate me.

As the song goes: Humbly thyself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Andrew Murray has repetitively been an author I'll read during a spiritual retreat. He keeps me on the rails, and corrects blind spots that I've ignored.

I think the key message I got out of this book was to look at opposition as an opportunities to not take myself so seriously, to prefer others over myself, and allow space for Jesus to vindicate me.

As the song goes: Humbly thyself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

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Sep 09, 2016 James Daniels rated it it was amazing

The best book on Humility I have ever read. It is only 53 pages, but it's not a short read. Take your time reading it for the best understanding and results. Very nice read and much wisdom gained from Humility. The best book on Humility I have ever read. It is only 53 pages, but it's not a short read. Take your time reading it for the best understanding and results. Very nice read and much wisdom gained from Humility. ...more

Wowwowowow. I absolutely loved this book!! It's one of those books that I want to read again and probably again and maybe again after that. There is so much to think about, so much to pray through, and so much to humble you!

It's so amazing how the deeper you go in following Jesus, the more reasons he gives you to be humble. Following him more deeply makes you realize more and more how he is such a big God, and we are so blessed that he has graciously given us a role in his Kingdom. We are so sma

If nothing else, this book brought together so much powerful scripture about humility; it showed lack of humility in the disciples and humility in Jesus unto death.

Murray was a late 19th century pastor in South Africa. Occasionally Murray made a statement that I don't think I necessarily agree with, but overall it was so good and humbling to be reminded of how humility should interact with sin, others, and faith. Jesus really set the bar high, and his grace is what humbles us.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this book!:

"It is necessary to understand that it is not sin that humbles most, but grace….. If we are indeed to be humble, not only before God but also towards men, if humility is to be our joy, we must see that it is not only the mark of shame because of sin, but it is also apart from all sin being clothed with the very beauty and blessedness of heaven and of Jesus."

"… it is God who works all in all, that our responsibility is to yield to Him in perfect surrender and dependence, in full compliance to be and to do nothing of ourselves."

"The distinguishing feature of counterfeit holiness is its lack of humility."

"There is none holy but God. We can only have as much holiness as we have of God…. Humility is, simply stated, the disappearance of self in the vision and understanding that God is all."

"Being occupied with self, even to the point of hating yourself, can never free us from self. It is only by the revelation of God, not by the law condemning sin but by His grace delivering from it, that will make us humble."

"Isn't it the most humbling thing there can be, the acceptance of our place as dependents who can claim, receive, or accomplish nothing apart from grace?"

"Look at every fellow man who annoys or offends you, as a way for grace to humble you."

"Nature can never overcome nature, not even with the help of grace. Self can never cast out self, even in the new man. Praise God, the work has been done, finished, and perfected forever! The death of Jesus, once and forever, is our death to self."

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The humility of Jesus is the entirety of our salvation. This book articulates that so clearly through each of the chapters. Humility is not reminding myself of how lowly I am, but rather placing myself under the authority of God. "To every Christian the command comes from the throne of God himself: humble yourself. The earnest attempt to listen and obey will be rewarded with the painful discovery of two things: the depth of our pride, and the powerlessness of all our efforts to destroy it." Isai The humility of Jesus is the entirety of our salvation. This book articulates that so clearly through each of the chapters. Humility is not reminding myself of how lowly I am, but rather placing myself under the authority of God. "To every Christian the command comes from the throne of God himself: humble yourself. The earnest attempt to listen and obey will be rewarded with the painful discovery of two things: the depth of our pride, and the powerlessness of all our efforts to destroy it." Isaiah 57:15

Great book that I definitely will spend time reflecting on. Sometimes was hard to read because it felt like there was so much repetition within the chapters.

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Jan 31, 2021 Silvia Maria rated it really liked it

"Let us consider how our lack of love, indifference to the needs and feelings of others, even sharp comments and hasty judgments that are often excused as being honest and straightforward, are thwarting the effect of the influence of the Holy Spirit on others."

This book was formative in my thinking and life several years ago. It was good to read through it again and be reminded of the centrality of, the path to, and the blessings of humility.

Some meaningful quotes from the book:

As God is the ever-living, ever-present, ever-acting One--who upholds all things by the Word of His power, and in whom all things exist--the relationship of man to God could only be one of unceasing, absolute, universal dependence. . . . Man need only look back to the origin of

This book was formative in my thinking and life several years ago. It was good to read through it again and be reminded of the centrality of, the path to, and the blessings of humility.

Some meaningful quotes from the book:

To many of us it has been a new joy in the Christian life to know that we may yield ourselves as servants, as slaves to God, and to find that His service is our highest liberty--the liberty from sin and self. We need now to learn another lesson--that 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. It will be a new and fuller liberty from sin and self. At first it may appear hard; this is only because of the pride which still counts itself something.
If once we learn that to be nothing before God is the glory of man, the spirit of Jesus, the joy of heaven, we will welcome with our whole heart the discipline we may have in serving even those who try to vex us.... no place will be too low. No stooping will be too deep, and no service too mean or too long continued, if we may but share and prove the fellowship with Him who spoke, 'I am among you as he that serveth' (Luke 22:27).
Brethren, here is the path to the higher life. Down, lower down! (31-32)

The insignificances of daily life are the importances and the tests of eternity because they prove what spirit really possesses us. (44)

It is easy to think we humble ourselves before God. Yet, humility toward men will be the only sufficient proof that our humility before God is real…. When in the presence of God lowliness of heart has become, not a posture we assume for a time when we think of Him, or pray to Him, but the very spirit of our life, it will manifest itself in all our bearing toward our brethren.... (43-44)

The humble man feels no jealousy or envy. He can praise God when others are preferred and blessed before him. He can bear to hear others praised and himself forgotten, because in God's presence he has learned to say with Paul, "I am nothing" (2 Corinthians 12:11). (44)

How can I die to self? The death to self is not your work; it is God's work. In Christ you are dead to sin. The life there is in you has gone through the process of death and resurrection. You may be sure you are indeed dead to sin. But the full manifestation of the power of this death in your disposition and conduct depends on the measure in which the Holy Spirit imparts the power of the death of Christ. And it is here that the teaching is needed. If you want to enter into full fellowship with Christ in His death, and know the full deliverance from self, humble yourself. This is your one duty.
Place yourself before God in your utter helplessness. Consent heartily to the fact of your weakness to slay or make yourself alive. Sink down into your own nothingness, in the spirit of meek and patient trustful surrender to God. Accept every humiliation, look upon every fellow-man who tries or vexes you, as a means of grace to humble you. Use every opportunity of humbling yourself before your fellow-men as a help to remain humble before God. It is by the mighty strengthening of His Holy Spirit that God reveals Christ fully in you. In this manner, Christ, in His form of a servant, is truly formed in you and dwells in your heart. God will accept such humbling of yourself as the proof that your whole heart desires it. He will accept it as your very best prayer for it, and as your preparation for His mighty work of grace. It is the path of humility which leads to perfect death, the full and perfect experience that we are dead in Christ. (75-76)

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This was one of Andrew's more convoluted books grammar wise. There was a lot of rereading the same line to figure out what was being said.
However, his lessons on humility are well worth the effort. As someone lacking in this, I can foresee myself rereading this book several times and always seeing something I've not appreciated each time. This was one of Andrew's more convoluted books grammar wise. There was a lot of rereading the same line to figure out what was being said.
However, his lessons on humility are well worth the effort. As someone lacking in this, I can foresee myself rereading this book several times and always seeing something I've not appreciated each time. ...more

Mar 31, 2020 Evan Hoekzema rated it it was amazing

Murray writes from a place of pure conviction. Humility is the last stop on the road to Christian maturation, and yet he laments how often it's left behind for many Christians. He argued that humility is the forms the root of all Christian behavior "because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all." (p. 7) Murray writes, "that evil can have no beginning but from pride, and no end but from humility." (p. 9) This book has some serious gems and is worth the read Murray writes from a place of pure conviction. Humility is the last stop on the road to Christian maturation, and yet he laments how often it's left behind for many Christians. He argued that humility is the forms the root of all Christian behavior "because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all." (p. 7) Murray writes, "that evil can have no beginning but from pride, and no end but from humility." (p. 9) This book has some serious gems and is worth the read! ...more

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. .

Murray was Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Murray became a noted missionary leader. His father was a Scottish Presbyterian serving the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, and his mother had connections with both French Huguenots and German Lutherans. This background to some extent explains his ecumenical spirit. He was educated at Aberdeen University, Scotland, and at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After ordination in 1848 he served pastorates at Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town, and Wellington. He helped to found what are now the University College of the Orange Free State and the Stellenbosch Seminary He served as Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church and was president of both the YMCA (1865) and the South Africa General Mission (1888-1917), now the Africa Evangelical Fellowship.

He was one of the chief promoters of the call to missions in South Africa. This led to the Dutch Reformed Church missions to blacks in the Transvaal and Malawi. Apart from his evangelistic tours in South Africa, he spoke at the Keswick and Northfield Conventions in 1895, making a great impression. upon his British and American audiences. For his contribution to world missions he was given an honorary doctorate by the universities of Aberdeen (1898) and Cape of Good Hope(1907).

Murray is best known today for his devotional writings, which place great emphasis on the need for a rich, personal devotional life. Many of his 240 publications explain in how he saw this devotion and its outworking in the life of the Christian. Several of his books have become devotional classics. Among these are Abide in Christ, Absolute Surrender, With Christ in the School of Prayer, The Spirit of Christ and Waiting on God.

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