Hession on humility.

Sometimes you hear of a book, and either because of the author or the title you can hardly wait to get your hands on it. Sometimes it's different, sometimes you've never heard of a book that someone gives to you highly recommended, and you only read it because Norman Grubb has written the forward to it.

The Calvary Road by Roy Hession is one of those books that somehow you know you'll be reading over and over again. One of those books with a message so important, and yet so simple that you never really want to stop reading it. 

It's message is simply that revival starts in the individual Christian hearts, and that there is no great and deep secret to it. Revival is what happens when men and women humble themselves, admit the horrible, proud states of their hearts, and ask for the Holy Spirit to be shed upon them, that they might no more of Christ.

One of the major theme running through the book is the need for the Christian to be humble before God, to repent of our pride and to curve the sinful I into a C...The author devotes a whole chapter to the parable of the servant in Luke 17:7-10. Hession draws out five applications for humility for Christians today:

1) He must be willing to have one thing upon another put on him, without any consideration being given him.

The servant went from all day in the field, to preparing his master's supper, to waiting on his master, and at no time was offered a rest or food. And at no time did he complain.

2) He must be willing not to be thanked for it.

How often i serve someone just for the credit it accrues. Not this servant.

3) Having done all this, he must not charge the other with selfishness.

It seems as we read the passage that the master is cruel and inconsiderate. But this doesn't seem to be the opinion of the servant. Indeed, Christians exist to worship Jesus, and obey Him. The same is true of the servant in the parable.

4) We must confess that we are unprofitable servants.

At no point does Jesus commend the servant, at no point does the servant stop for self congratulation. He knows that he is unprofitable.

5) We must admit that having done and borne all that we have in meekness and humility, we have not done a stitch more than was our duty.

We are saved to do good works for the glory of God. We are saved BY Him For Him. What can we offer Jesus that is 'above and beyond'? Nothing. This should fire up our humility.