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Devotional: April 27th

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"Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." ― Matthew 11:29.

In telling us this of himself, our Lord does not profess to tell us anything new, but simply to refer to a well-known fact. Everything in his life declared that he was meek and lowly of heart. Power, wisdom, generosity, love ― these things were not more largely revealed in his life, than were his meekness and lowliness of heart. For instance, in the choice of a position. He entered one of the lowest grades of society. He had intercourse indeed with men of all ranks; but he was always a man of the people. His intimate companions, his brethren, those among whom was his home, were fishermen, carpenters, tax-gatherers. The rich invited him to their tables sometimes, but it was either by way of condescension or curiosity. Observe the reception given him by Simon the Pharisee. Simon doubtless knew well the laws of courtesy, and punctually conformed to them in his intercourse with people of his own grade; but when Jesus the Nazarene was his guest, he set them aside; he gave him no water for his feet, embraced him not, and anointed not his head with oil; thinking it quite sufficient that this Galilean should have a place at his table. Christ voluntarily assumed a position in social life, where he would be looked down upon by men moving in the higher spheres. He was the friend of publicans and sinners.

He chose to be a Nazarene, though the prejudice against Nazareth was so strong that men familiarly said, " Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"

He was not merely lowly in life, but lowly in heart. Some rich men feel ill at ease in the society of men of inferior grades; they task themselves perhaps to be civil, kind, considerate; but they have a feeling that they are out of their element, and they shrink back with much comfort to themselves into their accustomed sphere. But Christ was consciously at home among his poor and illiterate companions. Their habits of thought, their mode of life, their topics of conversation, were not something strange to him. The utmost cordially characterized his manner, and stamped his lowliness as genuine.

Learn of me; that is, be my disciples. The believer is one who is learning of Christ to be meek and lowly of heart.

Does the notion of our own merit make it difficult for us to walk in " all meekness and lowliness?" Surely, our merit is hardly to be put in comparison with that of Christ. It may be, we are not so bad as some people; but Christ is the most meritorious being in the universe. Shall we rate ourselves above him? In the assemblies of men, let us beware how we take the higher place; for though we may think ourselves better than some that are there present, yet are we not better than Christ; and if we will but notice it, he takes the lower place. If reproaches are offered us, let us consider that greater reproaches are offered Christ, and he endures them.

Almost all men are complaining of the burden laid upon them: they think that too much is imposed; every man would have his own yoke lightened in some respect. Now what makes the burden heavy is simply the unwilling spirit. Let us get from Christ a cheerfully submissive spirit; let us learn from him not to quarrel with our appointed lot; and, on the instant, by virtue of this inward change, our burden loses a vast deal of its weight. Christ had a burden that would have sunk him to a most speedy grave, if it had not been for his meekness and lowliness of heart. And if we are like him in these characteristics, it will make comparatively little difference what the burden laid upon us is; it will be found light.

Again, the oppressive thing to most men is that they have to meet the responsibilities of life, alone. But Christ reveals himself to believers as bearing the yoke of life with them; their true yoke-fellow.

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