Philippians 2:5-8 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Definition of HUMBLE
2: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission <a humble apology>
b : not costly or luxurious
Do you know people who are humble?
My Grandma Abresch was humble. She was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. She used to choose a book from each section of the library (including health and automotive) and read them so that she would be able to have a conversation with anyone she met. She wasn’t an expert on every topic, but she could ask questions that would get the mechanic, nurse, teacher or mother talking. She didn’t ever act like she was smarter than anyone, but she was amazingly smart. She read these books, not so she could be smarter than anyone, but so she would be able to form relationships with them.
Being humble doesn’t mean you’re not important
My grandma was smart, but she was humble. Jesus was God, but He humbled Himself and became a servant. Jesus was not haughty or proud. No where do we hear Him saying, “Don’t you know who I am, why don’t you bow down and worship me?” He did not demand our worship, but instead became a servant, washing His disciples feet, healing others and ultimately volunteering His life so that we can live with Him in heaven.
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage
Jesus had every right to demand submission from those around Him. If He wanted to, He could have made really bad things happen to those who were fighting against His ministry. He had the control of the whole world at His finger tips, but He didn’t consider using being God to His own advantage. How many people do you know who have power choose not to use it to their own advantage. I don’t know too many. There are some, thank God. Each of us have our own sphere of influence, where we can learn to be humble and not push our weight around.
Rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Ok, I don’t know about you, but this verse is a bit humbling for me. It tells us that Jesus made Himself nothing – human. Humans were the most humbling thing He could become, nothing. He put himself at the bottom of the totem pole. We are at the bottom of the totem pole – we’re human. We need to remember we’re no better than anyone else, and not think that others are there to serve us, but that we are to be like Jesus, humble, helping others.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
even death on a cross!
But even more humbling was that Jesus, in the appearance of a man became obedient to death, and not just any death, but a death that was reserved for the worst of the worst of society. Jesus who deserved our praise and adoration was treated like the lowest of the lowest of the low. He was beaten, stricken and tortured, just so he would tell them what they wanted to hear.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
We are called to be humble like Christ Jesus. What would that look like in our lives? Let’s look at the definition above to get an idea.
not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive – This is almost the opposite of what those who want to encourage you to become all you could be would say. They would tell you it’s important to be proud of yourself, and to be assertive, but the best leaders I’ve ever seen didn’t need to lean on their own pride, or be overly assertive. Being humble and putting others needs first is a truer reflection of Christ in our lives.
reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission– In our lives today, or at least in my own life, I can often find myself fighting for fairness. Wanting it to be fair (at least if it seems unfair in my direction – I’m less worried if it’s unfair in someone else’s life), I fight hard to make sure I get what I “deserve”. Instead of fighting, I need to reflect Jesus’ spirit of submission thinking first of others well-being.
Thinking of ways we can put others needs ahead of our own, my thoughts go out to those on the east coast. If you would like to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy – here is a link to the Red Cross:
God is... 