Years ago when I was in the middle of raising my children, I received a gift of God’s Best Secrets by Andrew Murray. It quickly became one of my treasured books.
The Essential Andrew Murray Collection is another book I will treasure. In this one book, one will find three books edited for today’s reader.
Each of these books contain timeless wisdom for life today!
In Humility, Andrew Murray reminds us we need to turn from pride, emptying ourselves so we can be filled with Christ. A few of my favorite quotes were:
“His [Christ] humility became our salvation. His salvation is our humility.”
“Humility is not so much a virtue along with the others, but is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him, as God, to do all.”
“We shall find that the deepest humility is the secret of the truest happiness, of a joy that nothing can destroy.”
Abiding in Christ is a 31 day devotional which breaks down John 15:1-12. Each of the readings looks at various aspects of abiding and the blessings in so doing. Some quotes from this section included:
“It is only the abiding that can really satisfy the thirsty soul and enable you to drink of the rivers of pleasure that are at His right hand.”
“The connection between the vine and the branch is a living one. No external, temporary union is described here, and no work of man can make it happen. The branch, whether an original or an engrafted one, is the Creator’s own work; the life, the sap, the fatness, and the fruitfulness of the branch are only possible because of its attachment to the vine.”
“Believer, abide in Christ, for there in the abiding is the school of prayer – mighty, effectual, answered prayer. Abide in Him, and you will learn what to so many is a mystery: The secret of the prayer of faith is the life of faith – the life that abides in Christ alone.”
The third book included is Living a Prayerful Life. The original book stemmed from a letter in which the question was raised as to the low spiritual state that marked the church. In seeking the Lord for answers, they discovered:
“The Lord led us gradually to the sin of prayerlessness as one of the deepest roots of the problem … Nothing so reveals a defective spiritual life in a minister or a congregation as the lack of believing and unceasing prayer. Prayer is the pulse of the spiritual life.”
This section was written to share his experiences, his wisdom, and the guidelines he had discovered in prayer. Andrew Murray desired to ignite the prayer life of each one who would ever read this book.
Each of these three book can be read independent of one another but all three are full of wisdom. The chapters are not very long and the book can actually be used as a devotional to allow for pondering the spiritual insights in each chapter without rushing along.
Ageless and much needed wisdom will be found on every page.
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This books does sound like it is essential! I was jolted when I saw the phrase, “the sin of prayerlessness.” Of course I knew we should pray more than we do but somehow seeing it starkly sitting there among your words was so convicting.
That was one of the chapter titles and it struck home deeply.
I read a lot of Murray in my college and early married years. I think Abiding in Christ was one. I’ve been thinking I need to revisit his books.
I’ve been blessed in reading these again. I had not ever read “Living a Prayerful Life” – excellent!
in the overwhelming social media age we live in, humility is as rare as hen’s teeth, isn’t it …
may our relationship with Christ always keep us exactly where we need to be … totally dependent on His grace.
Amen!
I like Andrew Murray, but I have never heard of his third book, Living a Prayerful Life.
This is such a sobering quote, “The Lord led us gradually to the sin of prayerlessness as one of the deepest roots of the problem … Nothing so reveals a defective spiritual life…as the lack of believing and unceasing prayer. Prayer is the pulse of the spiritual life.”
Thank you for your book recommendations, Joanne.