Holy Week, Day 3
Begin with 2 minutes of silence
Scripture : Philippians 2:5-9
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names…
Devotional : Closing the Gap
By Sarah Phelan-Blamires
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…
The concepts in this passage – equality, sacrifice, humility, and obedience – come easily enough to me when all is well. The difficulty comes when things are falling apart or people act unfairly.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to…
In situations where I or someone I love has been hurt or wronged, I find my attitude slipping into judgement. Another way of thinking about judgement is considering yourself as better than others. In fact, I often feel like they don’t deserve my forgiveness at all. The world agrees with these sentiments, but we are not called to this world.
Jesus stood blameless and superior in every way, yet he didn’t think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being…
When I feel as though I don’t have many “privileges”, I cling to them far too tightly. For example, if I have an unexpected expense, it feels as though I have to pry each finger off my tithes check one by one, when normally it feels light and fulfilling to give.
Jesus gave so generously of every privilege he had, even when he had given up everything else and only all he had left was his life, he gave it freely.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross…
Jesus humbled himself so far as to ask, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” even as he was dying. If Jesus can do this for us, who are so far beneath him and wholly undeserving, we too can humble ourselves in obedience to God and forgive people when they don’t deserve it.
We do all these things not because it’s earned, but because Jesus did it for us. God forgives us every day and we don’t deserve it.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names…
Think of the gap between Jesus’ righteousness and the people he interacted with, huge right? Now think of the gap between you and the people you interact with. The one with the highest honor and name above all names humbled himself and gave up his divine privileges to be born equal to us. The privileges we give up are tiny by comparison. How much more humble and forgiving should we be?
Question to Consider
“If you have a choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." –Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Is there an area in your life where, right or wrong by human standards, you’ve judged someone as beneath you or where you’ve withheld forgiveness from someone?
Prayer
Lord, teach me how to walk with Jesus. Show me where I need to throw off my privileges and be humble. Point out to me where I am holding onto the morality of this world instead of that your kingdom. Give me the same attitude as Christ Jesus had, regardless of the situation. Amen.