p. 99 | The Meek Spirit by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 14, 1871

The Meek Spirit.

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon

FIRST, Christ says he is meek, and then “lowly in heart.” Take the word “meek.” As I think, that refers to the yoke-bearer. If I am actively laboring for Christ, I can only find rest in that labor by having a meek spirit. If I go and labor for Christ without a meek spirit, I shall find there is no rest.

Somebody will be objecting that I do not do my work as I ought to do, according to his canon of taste; and if I am not meek, I shall find my proud spirit rising at once. I shall be defending myself, or I shall find a spirit which says: “I will do no more, because I am not appreciated.” But a meek spirit is not apt to be angry, and does not soon take offense; therefore, if men offend, the meek spirit goes on and will not be offended, and will not notice a sharp word or severe criticism. If the meek spirit be injured or offended, and suffers for a moment, it is always ready to forgive and blot out the past, going on again.

The meek spirit, in working, only seeks to do good to others. It denies itself; it never expects to be well treated; it did not intend to be honored; it only sought to do good to others.

The meek spirit laid itself very low, and took the yoke; and the yoke must be higher than the shoulder. It did not expect to be exalted; it only took the yoke to serve Christ and do good to poor sinners.

Don’t you notice in Jesus Christ what a glorious meekness there is? How calm he is when men treat him badly! When the Samaritans would not receive him, John said: “Call fire from heaven.” Poor John! Jesus Christ has a meek spirit, and will do nothing of the kind. If one village will not receive him, he will go to another, and they will. He will still labor on.

And, oh! your labor will become easy if your spirit is very meek. It is the proud soul that gets tired of doing good if it finds its efforts are not appreciated.

It is the bravely meek spirit that endures, like the anvil that bears the hammer’s blows, and destroys the hammer by patient endurance. Oh! you want to be like Jesus. Consider him who endured the persecution of sinners. Lest ye be weary and faint in your minds, learn his meekness; then the yoke will not gall your shoulder; you will find it easy to your shoulder as soon as you love it.

But I must pass on, and notice that it is very evident that the rest which Christ speaks of in the second part of the text we shall find is a rest growing out of our spirit’s being conformed to the spirit of Christ. “Learn of me, and ye shall find rest.” It is a spiritual rest. It is a vain idea to suppose that if our own circumstances were altered, we should be more at rest. If you cannot rest in poverty, you cannot in riches. It is the spirit that gives the rest.

Persons on the rack have said they were among the roses, and have learned to sing God’s praises with joy of heart. It is the spirit that doeth it; as for the outward concerns, they are of small account. Let but your mind be like the mind of Christ, and you will “find rest unto your souls”—a deep rest; a growing rest; a rest you will find out more and more; an abiding rest, not only which you have found, but which you shall find, which you go on and find; justification—giving you rest from the burden of sin—sanctification. It will give you rest from all sorts of cares; and in proportion as it becomes perfect, and you are like your Saviour, your rest will become more like that of Heaven.—Spurgeon.