Walk as He Walked.

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Royal Insignia, compiled by Edwin and Lillian Harvey, contains many inspiring quotations on varied aspects of humility which, as the title suggests, is the badge of every true believer in Christ. The following excerpts are on the subject of nothingness, a subject none too popular in today’s culture but indispensible, nevertheless, to those of us who strive to follow in our Master’s footsteps.

Thus though worn, and tried, and tempted,
Glorious calling, saint, is thine;
Let the Lord but find thee emptied,
Living branch in Christ, the Vine!
Vessels of the world’s despising,
Vessels weak, and poor, and base,
Bearing wealth God’s heart is prizing,
Glory from Christ’s blessed face.

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Oh to be but emptier, lowlier,
Mean, unnoticed, and unknown,
And to God a vessel holier,
Filled with Christ and Christ alone!
Naught of earth to cloud the glory,
Naught of self the light to dim,
Telling forth His wondrous story,
Emptied, to be filled with Him.
–Paul Gerhardt, Royal Insignia, p. 108

We are nothing unless we abide in God; we can do nothing apart from Christ. We know and admit this as a doctrine, but to realize it as a fact, painful and humbling experience is often needed. But in this lowest humiliation is our true and highest exaltation. God takes all things from us that we may turn again to Him as our sure Portion; He makes us feel our weakness, our poverty, our ignorance, in order that we may return to Him.—Adolph Saphir in The Hidden Life, quoted in Royal Insignia, p. 112

Beware of too sublime a sense
Of your own worth and consequence.
The man who dreams himself so great,
And his importance of such weight,
That all around in all that’s done
Must move and act for him alone,
Will learn in school of tribulation
The folly of his expectation.
—William Cowper. Royal Insignia, p. 114

Royal Insignia is published by Harvey Christian Publishers and is available in their Online Christian Bookstore.

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