Philippians 2:5–11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Reflection
Jesus was God. Jesus is God. Jesus is flesh and blood. Jesus is like me. Why?
Talk about an example of humility! I can remember a conversation I had with a friend, probably 25 years ago. We were talking about the word humble. Humility to this friend was a sign of weakness. My contention was that humility was a sign of strength. The passage above was the reason for our converstion. Jesus shows strength in humility, by becoming like me and you and living a life in the flesh in order to become one with us. Jesus does this not of his own need. He is God. Jesus does this out of love for me and you. Jesus takes humility and makes it an awesome quality for all of us to emulate.
The passage above is thought to be a hymn by some. Jesus shows us a few qualities of humility. He empties himself.. I can't be full of myself and be humble. It's not all about how great I am, how great a thing I've done, how smart I am, how rich or even how powerful I may be. In my humility, I must get over myself for the sake of myself, and for the sake of those God places me with. I am a servant. I serve to the point of slavery.
I must be obedient to the task, the plan, the purpose that God has for me. Jesus came to do the Father's will. And we pray that God's will may be done in and through us day after day. This isn't about what I want but about what God wants out of me. So, I must listen intently and seek to do God's will in my life. I must stop and pray to hear God's voice and be attentive to Holy Scripture and alive in seeking God's presence in the sacraments and in everyday life to hear God's call to action.
I must be willing to feel the pain of it all. Jesus went to the cross out of love for me and in obedience to the will of the Father. I too must be willing to do what God has commanded throughout my life. God has placed me here to live to the fullest for God's purpose and plan and this may be some hard work. But this is not my home. Presence in Jesus and in God is my home. But for now, God has placed me here on this earth to carry out God's will in my life to the fullest extent. I'm here not to take a short cut but to fulfill God's plan for my life.
Finally, I can see through this passage about the humility of Jesus, that he alone is my Savior and my God. Jesus is to be praised and followed and adored above it all. In Jesus' act of humility, we are saved. So, being humble... what a great quality to emulate. Humility is a sign of Jesus' presence in life. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Father; you call me to true humility. You call me to serve. You call me to listen to your voice and hear your way in my life. Help me to understand and to do your will... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment