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The Essential Andrew Murray Collection: Humility, Abiding in Christ, Living a Prayerful Life
Three Classic Andrew Murray Books in One Wisdom-Filled Volume The powerful writings of Andrew Murray, the nineteenth-century minister and author, still inspire today.· In Humility, Murray calls all Christians to turn from pride, empty themselves, and study the character of Christ, who will then fill them with His grace. It is often called the best work ever written on the topic.· Abiding in Christ invites you to listen to words from Scripture, read a daily meditation, pray, and surrender yourself anew to Christ. This thirty-one-day devotional is as timely now as it was in 1895 when it was first published.· Living a Prayerful Life outlines the way to overcome prayerlessness, which Murray believed was the greatest roadblock to spiritual growth. He offers inspiring and practical guidelines for becoming a prayer warrior, including examples from the prayer lives of the apostle Paul, George Müller, and Hudson Taylor.The wisdom in these pages will encourage and equip you to live a life of humility, surrender, and prayer, bringing you closer to the One who created you and longs to be with you. Each title in this collection has been edited for today's reader.
- GenresFaithChristian Living
464 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2021
44 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Murray
1,200 books548 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Murray was Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Murray became a noted missionary leader. His father was a Scottish Presbyterian serving the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, and his mother had connections with both French Huguenots and German Lutherans. This background to some extent explains his ecumenical spirit. He was educated at Aberdeen University, Scotland, and at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After ordination in 1848 he served pastorates at Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town, and Wellington. He helped to found what are now the University College of the Orange Free State and the Stellenbosch Seminary. He served as Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church and was president of both the YMCA (1865) and the South Africa General Mission (1888-1917), now the Africa Evangelical Fellowship.
He was one of the chief promoters of the call to missions in South Africa. This led to the Dutch Reformed Church missions to blacks in the Transvaal and Malawi. Apart from his evangelistic tours in South Africa, he spoke at the Keswick and Northfield Conventions in 1895, making a great impression. upon his British and American audiences. For his contribution to world missions he was given an honorary doctorate by the universities of Aberdeen (1898) and Cape of Good Hope(1907).
Murray is best known today for his devotional writings, which place great emphasis on the need for a rich, personal devotional life. Many of his 240 publications explain in how he saw this devotion and its outworking in the life of the Christian. Several of his books have become devotional classics. Among these are Abide in Christ, Absolute Surrender, With Christ in the School of Prayer, The Spirit of Christ and Waiting on God.
Murray was Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Murray became a noted missionary leader. His father was a Scottish Presbyterian serving the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa, and his mother had connections with both French Huguenots and German Lutherans. This background to some extent explains his ecumenical spirit. He was educated at Aberdeen University, Scotland, and at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After ordination in 1848 he served pastorates at Bloemfontein, Worcester, Cape Town, and Wellington. He helped to found what are now the University College of the Orange Free State and the Stellenbosch Seminary. He served as Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church and was president of both the YMCA (1865) and the South Africa General Mission (1888-1917), now the Africa Evangelical Fellowship.
He was one of the chief promoters of the call to missions in South Africa. This led to the Dutch Reformed Church missions to blacks in the Transvaal and Malawi. Apart from his evangelistic tours in South Africa, he spoke at the Keswick and Northfield Conventions in 1895, making a great impression. upon his British and American audiences. For his contribution to world missions he was given an honorary doctorate by the universities of Aberdeen (1898) and Cape of Good Hope(1907).
Murray is best known today for his devotional writings, which place great emphasis on the need for a rich, personal devotional life. Many of his 240 publications explain in how he saw this devotion and its outworking in the life of the Christian. Several of his books have become devotional classics. Among these are Abide in Christ, Absolute Surrender, With Christ in the School of Prayer, The Spirit of Christ and Waiting on God.
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October 9, 2021
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Bethany House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
In terms of its contents, this book is a sizable work of more than 450 pages that is made up of three of the author's shorter books: Humility, Abiding In Christ, and Living A Prayerful Life. All of these books have a certain Calvinistic approach to them, but are all focused on very specific and often practical aspects of life for believers. The first book focuses as one might expect, on the issue of humility, discussing humility as both a glory and a secret, looking at the life, teaching, and disciples of Jesus Christ, and then discussing humility as it relates to daily life, holiness, sin, faith, death to help, happiness, and exaltation. This is followed by the second book, on abiding in Christ, that starts with John 15:1-2 and contains 31 chapters that serve as a sort of devotional on the subject, urging the reader to focus on Christ through thick and thin. The third book, on living a prayerful life, begins by discussing the prayer life, emphasizing, as one might expect, the sins and cause and fights against prayerlessness, and then moving on to look at the example of Jesus Christ. The second part of the book discusses a somewhat mystical approach to the inner room of prayer that involves a discussion of the nature of God and then a discussion of the deepest secret of Pentecost in the author's mindset. These materials are framed by an introduction and epilogue.
Are these books enough to be considered the essential works of Andrew Murray? Andrew Murray not only wrote a lot of books, but a lot of people after his death have written many more compilations of his work relating to various subjects. It is to his credit, I suppose, that his work remains relevant and popular if you appreciate his mix of a Calvinistic approach to holiness and a certain degree of mysticism in his discussion of Jesus Christ and especially the Holy Spirit, which was a particular focus of his writing. I found the books enjoyable to read and certainly thought-provoking, but I do not know if these books give the full flavor of a man who considered missions to be of vital importance and who likely had a lot that was worth reading on a great deal more subjects than are included here. This book may be an appropriate beginning to reading about Andrew Murray, but they hardly strike me as being sufficient to understand what he was about as a whole, as they invite far more questions than they provide biblical answers as to where he was coming from and why he approached his subject matter as he did.
In terms of its contents, this book is a sizable work of more than 450 pages that is made up of three of the author's shorter books: Humility, Abiding In Christ, and Living A Prayerful Life. All of these books have a certain Calvinistic approach to them, but are all focused on very specific and often practical aspects of life for believers. The first book focuses as one might expect, on the issue of humility, discussing humility as both a glory and a secret, looking at the life, teaching, and disciples of Jesus Christ, and then discussing humility as it relates to daily life, holiness, sin, faith, death to help, happiness, and exaltation. This is followed by the second book, on abiding in Christ, that starts with John 15:1-2 and contains 31 chapters that serve as a sort of devotional on the subject, urging the reader to focus on Christ through thick and thin. The third book, on living a prayerful life, begins by discussing the prayer life, emphasizing, as one might expect, the sins and cause and fights against prayerlessness, and then moving on to look at the example of Jesus Christ. The second part of the book discusses a somewhat mystical approach to the inner room of prayer that involves a discussion of the nature of God and then a discussion of the deepest secret of Pentecost in the author's mindset. These materials are framed by an introduction and epilogue.
Are these books enough to be considered the essential works of Andrew Murray? Andrew Murray not only wrote a lot of books, but a lot of people after his death have written many more compilations of his work relating to various subjects. It is to his credit, I suppose, that his work remains relevant and popular if you appreciate his mix of a Calvinistic approach to holiness and a certain degree of mysticism in his discussion of Jesus Christ and especially the Holy Spirit, which was a particular focus of his writing. I found the books enjoyable to read and certainly thought-provoking, but I do not know if these books give the full flavor of a man who considered missions to be of vital importance and who likely had a lot that was worth reading on a great deal more subjects than are included here. This book may be an appropriate beginning to reading about Andrew Murray, but they hardly strike me as being sufficient to understand what he was about as a whole, as they invite far more questions than they provide biblical answers as to where he was coming from and why he approached his subject matter as he did.
July 27, 2021
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.
* I received this book from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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.
* I received this book from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
September 24, 2021
I was given this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book includes three of Andrew Murray's books. I like Murray's books because he breaks ideas that could be difficult to understand into words that everyone can understand.
The first book is Humility. In this book Murray uses Jesus as an example to how Christians can live a life with humility.
Abiding is a 31 day devotional. It covers how Christians can live a life filled with God. This is an excellent resource for a devotional time.
The third book is Living a Prayerful Life. I am a prayer warrior so I was able to find many thoughts for my prayers. In here he talks about the prayer life, the inner room and the deepest secret of Pentecost.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is excellent.
August 2, 2021
In the Essential Andrew Murray collection, they enclosed three of his books in a single collection series. It starts out with Humility, which is about how we need to not cave into our pride. We must choose humility and we have to remember that we are created by God and He dwells in us. He looked at the fall of man and how satan caused his own fall when he was poisoned with pride because he wanted to be like God. He shared how God humbled himself to become man. Jesus became our pathway to salvation. He also looked at the teachings of Jesus and how he stated that the meek will be blessed and will inherit the earth and the poor in spirit will be blessed in the kingdom of Heaven. He also looked at the disciples and feet washing and how this is an example of humility. He explained how we need to see ourselves as nothing and put ourselves aside and let God be our everything. He looked at the character of a faithful servant and how we can be humble.
Abiding in Christ is the second book which is a 30-day devotional. This one discussed John 15:1-12 and how we need to abide in Him and in His word. He looked at how if we will choose to abide in Him, then we will find rest for our soul and taking His yoke. He explored in great detail about the parable of the Vine and the branch and how we can choose to form a union with Christ. He goes on at how we can bear fruit in our lives and how this will in turn help us to have infinite love and how this will cause us to want to serve others. He explained at how the church and the world needs grace and power of Christ and how we can all be witnesses to Christ.
Living a Prayerful Life is about how we need to live a prayer life. He starts sharing how we are all guilty of sinning and not praying. He revealed how this causes a deficient spiritual life and he looked at how we can change that. He explored the Holy Spirit and how we must believe that He is in us. This will help us with being reminded that Christ is omnipresent and His love for us. This book looked at different ways in which we can become prayer warriors and he looked at the life of Paul, George Muller, and Hudson Taylor.
I would this book to anyone who is ready to learn the teachings of a historian. I immensely loved how the collection contained three different books and the book had over 400 pages in it. This book is one that is meant to be read and studied and it will take readers time to medicate on the powerful truths included. I liked how he looked at different characters areas to guide us in our spiritual journey. I enjoyed the topic about humility and how this can help us to humble ourselves before God. The book was very helpful in surrendering our lives to Christ and building our lives up spiritual.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/Chosen Books for my honest review.”
Abiding in Christ is the second book which is a 30-day devotional. This one discussed John 15:1-12 and how we need to abide in Him and in His word. He looked at how if we will choose to abide in Him, then we will find rest for our soul and taking His yoke. He explored in great detail about the parable of the Vine and the branch and how we can choose to form a union with Christ. He goes on at how we can bear fruit in our lives and how this will in turn help us to have infinite love and how this will cause us to want to serve others. He explained at how the church and the world needs grace and power of Christ and how we can all be witnesses to Christ.
Living a Prayerful Life is about how we need to live a prayer life. He starts sharing how we are all guilty of sinning and not praying. He revealed how this causes a deficient spiritual life and he looked at how we can change that. He explored the Holy Spirit and how we must believe that He is in us. This will help us with being reminded that Christ is omnipresent and His love for us. This book looked at different ways in which we can become prayer warriors and he looked at the life of Paul, George Muller, and Hudson Taylor.
I would this book to anyone who is ready to learn the teachings of a historian. I immensely loved how the collection contained three different books and the book had over 400 pages in it. This book is one that is meant to be read and studied and it will take readers time to medicate on the powerful truths included. I liked how he looked at different characters areas to guide us in our spiritual journey. I enjoyed the topic about humility and how this can help us to humble ourselves before God. The book was very helpful in surrendering our lives to Christ and building our lives up spiritual.
"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/Chosen Books for my honest review.”
July 18, 2021
Take a deep breath when you start reading this book. If you are used to the books on spiritual growth we see today, if you frequently listen to the feel good sermons preached today, this book will take your breath away. Reading this collection of three of Murray's books reminded me of how shallow our contemporary Christian spirituality has become.
The first book in the collection is one on humility. Murray wrote there was nothing more beautiful and blessed “than to be nothing in order that God may be everything.” (14) Humility is entire dependence upon God and is to be the chief mark of our relationship with God. A lack of humility, Murray wrote, “is the explanation of every defect and failure.” (21) Jesus is our example of humility. What would our lives be like if we followed His example?
The first book in this collection shook me to the core. The second book, on abiding in Christ, helped me understand much about the Christian life and experience. Many do not understand what abiding in Christ means and is the reason they do not have joy nor the abundant life Jesus promised. Murray reminds us the abiding is not a work we do but rather is allowing God to work in us. It is by faith we realize we abide with Jesus moment by moment. It is allowing Christ to become our life within us, inspiring all out thinking, feeling and actions. (294)
The last book concentrates on prayer but begins reminding us of the seriousness of our sin and our being led by our flesh rather than the Spirit. Murray reminds us that the enemy uses all his power to keep us from praying. We are also reminded of the difference between knowing about life in Christ and actually living the abundant life in Christ, allowing Him to have full mastery over us. Murray also gives suggestions for prayer.
This is a book I will need to read again and again to reap the full spiritual impact it contains. The chapters are short and are suitable to be used as a daily devotion. Daily reading is the way to go as there is just too much to take in by reading it in big chunks as I did for this review. Be ready to be challenged to experience a depth of Christian spirituality rarely seen in modern works. If you feel there is something missing in your spiritual life, if you are willing to be confronted with your half hearted go at it, read this book. It will change you.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
The first book in the collection is one on humility. Murray wrote there was nothing more beautiful and blessed “than to be nothing in order that God may be everything.” (14) Humility is entire dependence upon God and is to be the chief mark of our relationship with God. A lack of humility, Murray wrote, “is the explanation of every defect and failure.” (21) Jesus is our example of humility. What would our lives be like if we followed His example?
The first book in this collection shook me to the core. The second book, on abiding in Christ, helped me understand much about the Christian life and experience. Many do not understand what abiding in Christ means and is the reason they do not have joy nor the abundant life Jesus promised. Murray reminds us the abiding is not a work we do but rather is allowing God to work in us. It is by faith we realize we abide with Jesus moment by moment. It is allowing Christ to become our life within us, inspiring all out thinking, feeling and actions. (294)
The last book concentrates on prayer but begins reminding us of the seriousness of our sin and our being led by our flesh rather than the Spirit. Murray reminds us that the enemy uses all his power to keep us from praying. We are also reminded of the difference between knowing about life in Christ and actually living the abundant life in Christ, allowing Him to have full mastery over us. Murray also gives suggestions for prayer.
This is a book I will need to read again and again to reap the full spiritual impact it contains. The chapters are short and are suitable to be used as a daily devotion. Daily reading is the way to go as there is just too much to take in by reading it in big chunks as I did for this review. Be ready to be challenged to experience a depth of Christian spirituality rarely seen in modern works. If you feel there is something missing in your spiritual life, if you are willing to be confronted with your half hearted go at it, read this book. It will change you.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
January 10, 2022
Want a Better Life? Try This!
PLEASE READ THIS REVEIW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2022/01/10/... THANK YOU!
This is a collection of three classic Christian books that will improve your life.
Humility--The way to get closer to God is to have more humility in your life. This is achieved by being dependent on God, the more you are able to do this, the better your life will be. Forget yourself, instead lean on God and His direction.
Pride is the opposite of humility; it is the root of every sin and evil. If you are in a state of pride, you will be far from God. Pride is what led the angels to become fallen, and satan's pride led him to tempt Adam and Eve. Turn from selfish pursuits and fill yourself with Christ's grace instead.
Abiding in Christ--Do you feel less connected to God than you did in your early days of salvation? Are you disappointed that the blessings you once had are gone? It may mean that you have not abided in Him as referenced in John 15:1-12, more specifically, John 15:4:
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
This thirty-one-day devotional will restore those things and more. In addition to following each day's devotion, you must also take time to grow with the Lord. Spend time daily purposely turning your life over to God so that He can work in you. Do this, and watch the improvements that take place!
Living A Prayerful Life--If you want to improve your prayer life, or feel like your prayer life is not what it should be, read this book. There are lots of suggestions and pointers here that will improve that. Also included are insights from other great prayer warriors that will help you become one, too.
Together, these books will provide blessings and improvements in your spiritual life and walk with God. Although written over a century ago, the language has been updated for today's readers. This 5-star book is recommended to everyone who wants a life more abundant filled with blessings and peace.
Bethany House Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Essential Andrew Murray Collection, for the purpose of review.
PLEASE READ THIS REVEIW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2022/01/10/... THANK YOU!
This is a collection of three classic Christian books that will improve your life.
Humility--The way to get closer to God is to have more humility in your life. This is achieved by being dependent on God, the more you are able to do this, the better your life will be. Forget yourself, instead lean on God and His direction.
Pride is the opposite of humility; it is the root of every sin and evil. If you are in a state of pride, you will be far from God. Pride is what led the angels to become fallen, and satan's pride led him to tempt Adam and Eve. Turn from selfish pursuits and fill yourself with Christ's grace instead.
Abiding in Christ--Do you feel less connected to God than you did in your early days of salvation? Are you disappointed that the blessings you once had are gone? It may mean that you have not abided in Him as referenced in John 15:1-12, more specifically, John 15:4:
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
This thirty-one-day devotional will restore those things and more. In addition to following each day's devotion, you must also take time to grow with the Lord. Spend time daily purposely turning your life over to God so that He can work in you. Do this, and watch the improvements that take place!
Living A Prayerful Life--If you want to improve your prayer life, or feel like your prayer life is not what it should be, read this book. There are lots of suggestions and pointers here that will improve that. Also included are insights from other great prayer warriors that will help you become one, too.
Together, these books will provide blessings and improvements in your spiritual life and walk with God. Although written over a century ago, the language has been updated for today's readers. This 5-star book is recommended to everyone who wants a life more abundant filled with blessings and peace.
Bethany House Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Essential Andrew Murray Collection, for the purpose of review.
August 11, 2021
This is a collection of 3 of Andrew Murray's most popular books. Andrew Murray is probably one of my favorite classic Christian writers. I would liken him to Tozer in style, conviction, and topics that they cover. So if you like Tozer you'll definitely love Murray.
Humility is Murray's most popular work. He discusses the importance of humility in the Christian life, Jesus' example as a humble servant, what to do when struggling with pride, and how to walk daily in humility. Though a short work, it is packed with godly wisdom, there's much to learn from.
Abiding in Christ is a 31-day devotional on the Christian life. You spend 1 month with Murray as he discusses in-depth what it means to live in and for God. This devotional will enrich your daily quiet time and give you much to meditate on throughout the day.
Living a Prayerful Life is a treatise on prayer. I've gone through many books on prayer but this has to be one of the best and most complete. Murray touches on several points that I hadn't heard before. He takes you through 3 different aspects of prayer: the prayer life, the inner room, and the deepest secret of Pentecost.
Murray is very easy to understand, so his books are excellent for everyone no matter your educational level and he has a way of simplifying a topic and making it relatable. I highly recommend this collection of works!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Humility is Murray's most popular work. He discusses the importance of humility in the Christian life, Jesus' example as a humble servant, what to do when struggling with pride, and how to walk daily in humility. Though a short work, it is packed with godly wisdom, there's much to learn from.
Abiding in Christ is a 31-day devotional on the Christian life. You spend 1 month with Murray as he discusses in-depth what it means to live in and for God. This devotional will enrich your daily quiet time and give you much to meditate on throughout the day.
Living a Prayerful Life is a treatise on prayer. I've gone through many books on prayer but this has to be one of the best and most complete. Murray touches on several points that I hadn't heard before. He takes you through 3 different aspects of prayer: the prayer life, the inner room, and the deepest secret of Pentecost.
Murray is very easy to understand, so his books are excellent for everyone no matter your educational level and he has a way of simplifying a topic and making it relatable. I highly recommend this collection of works!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
July 26, 2021
I am currently working my way through reading this new book compiled of Andrew Murray’s work, titled The Essential Collection ~ Humility, Abiding in Christ, and Living a Prayerful Life. This is three books in one, so it will take some time to go through it, and you will not want to rush the reading, but sit and read small bits at a time and then sit and ponder on it. If you have not read any of Andrew Murray’s books, I highly recommend him. In this new book, you will read biblical truth, scripture, encouragement, that will help you understand what true humility looks like, how we are to abide in Christ and why we are called to, and how to deepen our faith in our prayer life. Each chapter is short, but meaty! This is my favorite kind of reading! One where I know I will walk away gaining some helpful encouragement or insight I may not have thought about before, and seeing areas I need to grow in (ouch, but good for the soul). I also see this book, as one to pick up again and again. Also, one to share with your friends and family.
Here are a few highlighted areas I took from the book:
Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root; a lack of humility is the explanation of every defect and failure.
It appeared the lack of humility was the cause of much of the difficulty. Humility always seeks, like Jesus, to be the servant, the helper, and the comforter of others, even to the lowest and most unworthy.
You wandered from Him. The blessings He bestows are all connected with His “Come to Me” and are only to be enjoyed in close fellowship with Him. You either did not fully understand, or did not rightly remember, that the call meant “Come to Me and remain with Me”. This was His object and purpose when He first called you to Himself.
One would think that no message could be more beautiful or welcome than this; that we may rest and be quiet, and that our God will work for us and in us. And yet how far this is from being the case! How slow many are to learn that quietness is blessing, that quietness is strength, that quietness is the source of the highest activity – the secret of all true abiding in Christ!
Here are a few highlighted areas I took from the book:
Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root; a lack of humility is the explanation of every defect and failure.
It appeared the lack of humility was the cause of much of the difficulty. Humility always seeks, like Jesus, to be the servant, the helper, and the comforter of others, even to the lowest and most unworthy.
You wandered from Him. The blessings He bestows are all connected with His “Come to Me” and are only to be enjoyed in close fellowship with Him. You either did not fully understand, or did not rightly remember, that the call meant “Come to Me and remain with Me”. This was His object and purpose when He first called you to Himself.
One would think that no message could be more beautiful or welcome than this; that we may rest and be quiet, and that our God will work for us and in us. And yet how far this is from being the case! How slow many are to learn that quietness is blessing, that quietness is strength, that quietness is the source of the highest activity – the secret of all true abiding in Christ!
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