The Insignificances of Daily Life are the Tests of Eternity
“He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
― 1 John 4:20
Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a Scottish minister, writer, and preacher. The son of Scottish missionaries to South Africa, Andrew Murray grew up to seek an education and begin a ministry in Scotland; his rich spiritual heritage impacted his life and ministry as he went on to spend his life ministering to the church through preaching, writing, helping mission efforts, and being involved in various revival movements of God.
Among the hundreds of books and tracts written by Murray is Humility: a work on the nature and practice of the Christian virtue of humility.
In chapter 6 of Humility, “Humility in Daily Life,” Murray writes:
What a solemn thought that our love to God will be measured by our everyday intercourse with men and the love it displays. And that our love to God will be found to be a delusion, except as its truth is proved in standing the test of daily life with humanity. It is even so with our humility. It is easy to think we humble ourselves before God. But humility before men will be the only sufficient proof that our humility before God is real, that humility has taken up its abode in us, and become out very nature. And that we actually, like Christ, have made ourselves of no reputation. When in the presence of God lowliness of heart has become not a posture we pray to Him, but the very spirit of our life, it will manifest itself in all our bearing towards our brothers and sisters.
The lessons is one of deep importance: the only humility that is really ours is not that which we try to show before God in prayers, but that which we carry out, in our ordinary conduct. The insignificances of daily life are the tests of eternity because they prove what really is the spirit that possesses us. It is in our most unguarded moments that we really show and see what we are. To know the humble man, to know how the humble man behaves, we must follow him in the common course of daily life.
It not this what Jesus taught? It was when the disciples disputed who should be the greatest; when He saw how the Pharisees loved the chief place at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues; when He had given them the example of washing their feet—that He taught His lessons of humility. Humility before God is nothing if not proved in humility before men.
The humble man seeks at all times to act up to the rule, “in honor preferring one another” (Romans 12:10); “serve one of another” (Galatians 5:13); “each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3); “submitting yourselves to one another” (Ephesians 5:21)…True humility comes when, in the light of God, we have seen ourselves to be nothing, have consented to part with and cast away self, to let God be all. The soul that has done this and can say, “I have lost myself in finding You,” no longer compares itself with others. It has given up forever every thought of self in God’s presence; it meets its fellow-men as one who is nothing, and seeks nothing for itself; who is a servant of God, and for His sake a servant of all.
…The humble man looks upon every feeble and unworthy child of God and honors him, and prefers him in honor as a son of the King. The spirit of Him who washed the disciples’ feet makes it a joy to us to be the least, to be servants of one another.