Equality with God is not something that Jesus wanted to “grasp.” I looked up the meaning of this word, and it means “to seize, as if by robbery.” Jesus, though He was the very “form of God,” as the Son of Man, as God-become-man whose primary objective was to honor the Father, did not think it right to rob God of any honor. He didn’t want it. His nature could never bring Him to violate the trust, respect and love He had for God. I’m sure Satan thought, “Now, here’s my chance! God is vulnerable and I can finally defeat Him by making Him violate His own standards!” But he failed. Satan isn’t very original, because he used the same tactics with Eve: Disobey God and you can be your own god, and you will not need to listen to God, but can direct your own destiny. But Jesus turned the tables. He taught us that the key to honoring God is to consider others better (or higher) than yourself. I accept what God has determined is right and wrong. I become a servant to the One True God and I give sovereignty of myself back to Him. I choose to become His servant for the benefit of others rather than declare myself to be a god for my own selfish benefit. But the only way my attitude can be the same as Christ Jesus is if my old, fleshly nature dies and the new nature that He has given me in Christ truly lives. The Lord must reign in us every day. We must invite and encourage Him to live in us more. We surrender ourselves in exchange for more of God. As we abandon ourselves, we become free to draw nearer to God. We see things more clearly. Jesus became “nothing”; We must become nothing. We must grow more dependent on the Father whom we love. But we need help to die to the flesh, otherwise we are trying to please God under our own steam. That doesn’t work either. Our death to the flesh must be, to some degree, supernatural. Putting the interests of others above our own, after all, is not natural for the flesh. The Spirit must be vitally present in the Christian’s life. We need the Lord’s help to empty ourselves of our own foolish and selfish interests. But when we do this, God exalts us. To be lifted up, we must first learn to empty ourselves. When we pour ourselves out, when we really die to ourselves, we leave room to be filled with the full measure of God. No selfish ambition or vain conceit exists in a dead person. And we are really blessed when we hand our self-governance back to God. And of course life is better –because we are then experiencing the One who is Life –Abundant Life. Even in our human, fallen nature, no one likes to be around a conceited or self-exalting person. And if we don’t like seeing it in others, why would we want to be like that ourselves? The flesh must die –and God has the power to enable us to kill the flesh. Our joy, our life in Jesus Christ comes from killing ourselves and serving others for the right reasons. Are you tired of struggling with your own flesh? Then let it die. Commit to God to really die, and you will honor Him –and He will then have the opportunity to commune more richly with you. What a wonderful exchange! And you won’t need to wonder whether there’s enough “fruit” in your life or not –the fruit of the Spirit will overflow and you will rejoice because of what you see –and experience.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Philippians 2:5-11)
Equality with God is not something that Jesus wanted to “grasp.” I looked up the meaning of this word, and it means “to seize, as if by robbery.” Jesus, though He was the very “form of God,” as the Son of Man, as God-become-man whose primary objective was to honor the Father, did not think it right to rob God of any honor. He didn’t want it. His nature could never bring Him to violate the trust, respect and love He had for God. I’m sure Satan thought, “Now, here’s my chance! God is vulnerable and I can finally defeat Him by making Him violate His own standards!” But he failed. Satan isn’t very original, because he used the same tactics with Eve: Disobey God and you can be your own god, and you will not need to listen to God, but can direct your own destiny. But Jesus turned the tables. He taught us that the key to honoring God is to consider others better (or higher) than yourself. I accept what God has determined is right and wrong. I become a servant to the One True God and I give sovereignty of myself back to Him. I choose to become His servant for the benefit of others rather than declare myself to be a god for my own selfish benefit. But the only way my attitude can be the same as Christ Jesus is if my old, fleshly nature dies and the new nature that He has given me in Christ truly lives. The Lord must reign in us every day. We must invite and encourage Him to live in us more. We surrender ourselves in exchange for more of God. As we abandon ourselves, we become free to draw nearer to God. We see things more clearly. Jesus became “nothing”; We must become nothing. We must grow more dependent on the Father whom we love. But we need help to die to the flesh, otherwise we are trying to please God under our own steam. That doesn’t work either. Our death to the flesh must be, to some degree, supernatural. Putting the interests of others above our own, after all, is not natural for the flesh. The Spirit must be vitally present in the Christian’s life. We need the Lord’s help to empty ourselves of our own foolish and selfish interests. But when we do this, God exalts us. To be lifted up, we must first learn to empty ourselves. When we pour ourselves out, when we really die to ourselves, we leave room to be filled with the full measure of God. No selfish ambition or vain conceit exists in a dead person. And we are really blessed when we hand our self-governance back to God. And of course life is better –because we are then experiencing the One who is Life –Abundant Life. Even in our human, fallen nature, no one likes to be around a conceited or self-exalting person. And if we don’t like seeing it in others, why would we want to be like that ourselves? The flesh must die –and God has the power to enable us to kill the flesh. Our joy, our life in Jesus Christ comes from killing ourselves and serving others for the right reasons. Are you tired of struggling with your own flesh? Then let it die. Commit to God to really die, and you will honor Him –and He will then have the opportunity to commune more richly with you. What a wonderful exchange! And you won’t need to wonder whether there’s enough “fruit” in your life or not –the fruit of the Spirit will overflow and you will rejoice because of what you see –and experience.
1 Comment
7/29/2017 03:12:21 am
This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality.
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AuthorGeorge Taylor is Teaching Minister at Kouts Christian Church. This blog is updated every week. Archives
March 2013
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