Submitted
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
(Philippians 2:8, NKJV)
It is the desire of every human being to be recognized and respected, giving someone dignity regardless of their social status or physical situation is critical and necessary. We unfortunately live in a world where many people are insulted and denied of the one thing that we all have, the acknowledgement of just being human, an element that equalizes us all. In most instances, people seem to give value and honour only to those that they can look up to, often those who are seen as wealthy and as benefactors of others while demeaning those who on the social strata appear less able than they are. This seems to be natural attitude in society and for that reason, we find individuals who have painfully accepted that they are not good enough, that they lower than others. This hurts not only the individual but the society at large. In my humble submission, the reason for this reality of our days is born out of pride and the misplaced desire to be seen and recognized as better than others, be respected as more successful than others, desire to be at the top even when that means we step on others on our way to the top. It is a sad state glorified by our carnal minds. Brethren, the bible tells us that we are salt and light of the world, (Matthew 5:13-16), we have a responsibility to change the world one person at a time, just as we cannot hide our light or taste in our interactions with others, we cannot conform to the same thinking that we know is wrong. How we treat our brethren communicates where we stand, as light or as darkness.
Our reference verse challenges me on how I live and interact with others. Jesus Christ knew that He was the Son of God, He was part of the trinity and yet He came down on the earth and lived the normal natural life that we all live, getting hungry, sad, tired, excited etc., His life was a human as we go. Yet in all this, He did not lose the fact that He was God who did not need to live like a human being but He chose to live as such. The operative word is He humbled Himself, His life on earth was a life of humility so much so that at times, people did not differentiate Him from themselves. One would say in His choice of humility, He blended with us and no wonder the verse tells us that He fully appeared as a man. Beloved, this is beyond my comprehension, yet it is what our Lord chose and in so doing, demonstrated to us how we ought to live, in humility. Without mincing words, the bible states that this mind which was in Christ Jesus is what should be in us too (Philippians 2:5). This is not a suggestion but an instruction and powerful as it is, it starts with the word “Let”, that tells me that one has a choice to take it or not. God does not force us to have the mind of Christ but He offers it to us. Paul in encouraging the believers in Corinth, told them that they had the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). By the Spirit of God, we can live as Jesus did in humility especially when we remember that it is only by the grace of God that we have been saved, not of our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Beloved, we are lost without Jesus and His love for us, that is not just a reality but the absolute truth. May we desire to therefore live as He did, having His attitude and disposition, after all, we are called Christians because we follow Christ. It is a high calling but if we say we are connected to Jesus, we also ought to live like He did (1 John 2:6). Let us challenge ourselves to reflect the life of Jesus daily, being comforted by the assurance of the help by the Holy Spirit.
Thoughts
What is your response to this thought?
How does it impact your life as a believer?
What would prevent you from living as Jesus did?