He Humbled Himself
Barbaranne Kelly, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. . . . He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:15–19).
Yesterday we saw that humility is defined, in part, as “a readiness to forget oneself and to exalt others.” Frankly, I’m pretty forgetful, but one thing I rarely forget is myself. And when I humble myself, I haven’t very far to stoop. When I humble myself, it’s often from a notion of who I am, which may, honestly, be more inflated than factual. Paul tells us that we must think of others as more significant than ourselves because we naturally think rather more highly of ourselves—and lower of others—than we ought. So when I aim to humble myself to exalt another, I must first overcome my innate tendency to grasp more tightly to the exalted notions of myself—notions of my own status, reputation, power, or comfort—which inhabit my mind and heart.
Jesus didn’t have this problem.
In Today’s Treasure, we see the magnificent glory of our Lord Jesus from which He stooped in humility to save and exalt His lost and dying people. His sovereign majesty was not a mere exalted notion of Himself, but an eternally true fact of the second person of the godhead. Let’s read it again as a preamble to the passage in Philippians we are considering today:
[Christ Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. . . . He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. . .. (Colossians 1:15–19).
[And], though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5–8).
In Philippians 2:5–8, Paul gives us a glimpse of what was on Jesus’s mind when He left the glories of Heaven to humble Himself and take on human flesh. The thoughts that inhabited His mind and heart were not grasping to hold onto His status, reputation, power, or comfort. Jesus’ thoughts were self-forgetful and other-exalting in obedience to His Father.
He who created the cosmos became subject to His own creation: the limitations of human flesh, the heat of summer, the cold of winter, and the governing authorities of Palestine. He in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell learned the feeling of an empty belly and thirst, heartache, and pain. He who holds all things together allowed His hands to be nailed to a cross.
He could have called down legions of angels to His defense (Matt. 26:53), but He submitted to jealousy, betrayal, abandonment, arrest, slander, injustice, mocking torture, and death. Instead of grasping at His own glory, power, and authority, Jesus entrusted Himself entirely to His Father (1 Pet. 2:23). Obeying to His final breath, He had complete faith in His Father’s promise to raise Him up again. As He taught, so He lived: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12). This is the way of the cross.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Have you been asked to walk the way of the cross in the footsteps of our Savior? Throughout the letter to the Philippians Paul repeatedly reminds us that this is our calling, and this way leads to joy. But we can’t just go through the motions; our minds need to be in the game. Paul has revealed what was on Jesus’ mind as He came down for us and for our salvation, and he tells us this should be our mindset as well:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5).
So, this is something we are commanded to do. But it’s possible only because it is already ours in Christ Jesus. Only because God is working in us to complete the good work that He began in us (1:6), so that we may approve what is excellent, and be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus, to His own glory and praise (1:10–11), can we think of others the way our Lord Jesus thought of others.
The highest excellence which we could meditate upon in order to humble ourselves is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn, Creator, the Holder of all things, the Beginning, the Preeminent One, in Whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And He humbled himself. For you.
If you are in Christ, you, too, can humble yourself to the glory and praise of God.
PRAYER
Father, raise my eyes to my Savior, Your Son Jesus Christ, that I may forget all exalted notions of myself and instead follow in His footsteps of humble love and service to others, all to the glory of His name. May I decrease, that He may increase, as You continue to conform me to His image. AMEN
More free resources for help hope & healing:
Aging with Grace, Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture
By Sharon W. Betters and Susan Hunt
Agingwithgrace.online Discover afresh a gospel that is big enough, good enough, and powerful enough to make every season of life significant and glorious. Free Ask an Older Woman videos and much more. Not just for older women!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barbaranne Kelly and her husband Jim are the parents of five of the neatest people they know, and now Barbaranne is the Grandmommy to THREE grand boys! In October that will change to FOUR! Barbaranne and Jim are members of Christ Presbyterian Church in New Braunfels, Texas, where she leads a Bible study for women in the hope that she and they may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge Enjoy and be inspired by more of Barbaranne’s writing at her blog.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Tuesday, 09 May 2023.
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