Growing Upward In Adoration Of Christ - Thursday Devotionals

Charles Simeon grew downward in humiliation before God, and he grew upward in his adoration of Christ.

“Before honor is humility and he had been growing downwards year by year under the stern discipline of difficulty met in the right way, the way of close and adoring communion with God.”

H.C.G. Moule about Charles Simeon

The two things were the heartbeat of Simeon’s inner life: growing downwards in humility and growing upward in adoring communion with God.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

The remarkable thing about humiliation and adoration in the heart of Charles Simeon is that they were inseparable.

Unlike most of us today who think we should get rid once and for all of feelings of vileness and unworthiness as soon as we can, for Simeon, adoration only grew in the freshly plowed soil of humiliation for sin.

Simeon actually labored to know his true sinfulness and his remaining corruption as a Christian.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6

Do you seek your heart to find the sin in it or do rather hide from it and from the humiliation?

“I have continually had such a sense of my sinfulness as would sink me into utter despair, if I had not an assured view of the sufficiency and willingness of Christ to save me to the uttermost. And at the same time I had such a sense of my acceptance through Christ as would overset my little bark, if I had not ballast at the bottom sufficient to sink a vessel of no ordinary size.”

Charles Simeon

Simeon never lost sight of the need for the heavy ballast of his own humiliation.

After he had been a Christian forty years he wrote,

“With this sweet hope of ultimate acceptance of God, I have always enjoyed much cheerfulness before men; but I have at the same time labored incessantly to cultivate the deepest humiliation before God. I have never thought that the circumstance of God’s having forgiven me was any reason why I should forgive myself; on the contrary, I have always judged it better to loathe myself the more, in proportion as I was assured that God was pacified towards me…

There are but two objects that I have ever desired for these forty years to behold; the one is my own vileness; and the other is the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; and I have always thought that they should be viewed together; just as Aaron confessed all the sins of Israel whilst he put them on the head of the scapegoat.

 The disease did not keep him from applying the remedy, nor did the remedy keep him from feeling the disease. By this I seek to be, not only humbled and thankful, but humbled in thankfulness, before my God and Saviour continually.”

Charles Simeon

“Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Ezekiel 16:63

This post is part of Thursday Devotionals series. Right now it is going through the life, work and faith of Charles Simeon.

Would you like to read the first part, Are You Ready To Suffer For Christ?

You might also enjoy the second part of the series, Growing Downward.

I also recommend the thrird part for the children of this generation called, All Consuming Interest.

The fourth part is called, Peace Flowed In Rich Abundance.

If you have not yet read the fifth part , This Sweet Hope.

Take some time to read the sixth part also, Blessed Are The Peacemakers.

Hope you will enjoy reading the seventh part, A Double Blessing To Your Ministry.

Are you willing for, A Little Suffering For Christ's Sake.