Day 9 - Jesus is Humble

Read Philippians 2:5-11

In the beginning, Jesus was in Heaven, sitting at the side of God the Father. He saw creation - stars forming from nothingness, galaxies starting to spin. He watched Adam take his first breaths, and experienced his wonder as he beheld the world He and the Father had created. Jesus witnessed the fall of man, and He knew where God’s plan was going to lead Him. If any entity in all of history had the right to rage against circumstance, to cling to an exalted position, or to pridefully refuse to cooperate, it would have been Him.

Instead, He modeled the opposite. He knew that “equality with God” was not “a thing to be grasped.” Jesus willingly “emptied himself,” pouring out His desires and humbly accepting the role He was to play in God’s perfect redemptive plan. He temporarily gave up His perfect body and exalted place next to the Father, in order to become a man. As we see when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11, even when offered all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus subordinated His fleshly desires to the heavenly will of the Father and did not take the path that would have made His life on earth easier. He maintained a humble posture and ended up enduring unimaginable pain and suffering so that we might be saved.

The result of Christ’s humility is exaltation, that everyone will know that He is Lord. This would not have happened if Jesus had chosen His own path instead of obeying the Father.

As we spend time praying and meditating on this passage, we should be careful not to skim over verses 6-8. Although the reward was great, the path of humility that Jesus willingly walked was not easy. Near the end of that path, we get to see how He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:39, and we can read how He made His wants known, praying “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” then immediately pushes that aside by adding “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” As we strive to be more like Him every day, we should consistently choose to place our desires and temporary earthly comforts aside, and instead, live as obedient servants, with eyes set toward eternity.

by Andy Schaffer