May 27In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves — Phil. 2:3.
Paul exhorts that all shall cultivate the grace of humility, and that in every affair each shall take heed that "nothing be done through strife or vainglory," that self-laudation and strivings for pre-eminence be thoroughly put away as the greatest enemies to the Spirit of the Lord and the blessing of the Church. On the contrary, each should have that lowliness of mind which can see the good qualities of fellow-brethren and appreciate some of these qualities at least as superior to his own. All the talents, and all the abilities, need never be expected in any one person in any congregation. So, then, each may, if he be of lowly mind, see in others certain good qualities or graces superior to his own, and should delight to recognize these and to esteem their possessor accordingly—Z '97, 296 (R 2227). By lowliness of mind we understand humility to be meant. Humility is a proper self-estimate, and a self-estimate to be proper for us must be lowly; because whether considering ourselves from the standpoint of our physical, mental, moral or religious qualities, we must judge ourselves as not amounting to much. Such a self-estimate naturally esteems others better than ourselves, because it looks upon their qualities with more appreciation than upon one's own qualities—P '26, 61. Parallel passages: Rom. 12:3, 10, 16; 1 Pet. 5:5; Phil. 2:5-11; Psa. 138:6; Prov. 15:33; 16:19; 25:6, 7; Isa. 57:15; Jer. 45:5; Mic. 6:8; Matt. 11:29; 20:26, 27; 23:12; Luke 14:10; John 13:14-16. Hymns: 198, 95, 23, 114, 74, 4, 145. Poems of Dawn, 144: Judge Not by Outward Appearance. Tower Reading: Z '16, 35 (R 5842). Questions: What were this week's experiences along the lines of this text? How were they met? What were their effects? |
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JUDGE NOT BY OUTWARD APPEARANCE
JUDGE not; the workings of the brain
And of the heart thou canst not see;
What looks to thy dim eye a stain,
In God's pure light may only be
A scar, brought from some well-won field,
Where thou wouldst only faint and yield.
The look, the air, that frets thy sight,
May be a token that below
The soul hath closed in deadly fight
With some internal, fiery foe,
Whose glance would scorch thy smiling grace,
And cast thee, shuddering, on thy face.
The fall thou darest to despise;
May be the angel's slackened hand
Hath suffered it that he may rise
And take a firmer, truer stand;
Or, trusting less to earthly things,
May henceforth learn to use his wings.
And judge none lost; but wait and see,
With hopeful pity, not disdain;
The depth of the abyss may be
The measure of the height of pain
And love and glory that may raise
This soul to God in after days.
JUDGE not; the workings of the brain
And of the heart thou canst not see;
What looks to thy dim eye a stain,
In God's pure light may only be
A scar, brought from some well-won field,
Where thou wouldst only faint and yield.
The look, the air, that frets thy sight,
May be a token that below
The soul hath closed in deadly fight
With some internal, fiery foe,
Whose glance would scorch thy smiling grace,
And cast thee, shuddering, on thy face.
The fall thou darest to despise;
May be the angel's slackened hand
Hath suffered it that he may rise
And take a firmer, truer stand;
Or, trusting less to earthly things,
May henceforth learn to use his wings.
And judge none lost; but wait and see,
With hopeful pity, not disdain;
The depth of the abyss may be
The measure of the height of pain
And love and glory that may raise
This soul to God in after days.
