Be like Him

Philippians 2:3-8 NLT

Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. [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.

God's Word does strip everything down and undresses my pride in all it's pretentiousness.

Jesus, the Centre of Heaven's worship, put all of that adoration aside, in order to save me.... (you can put your name there too).

He humbled Himself, being born in obscurity, with the shadow and shame of apparent illegitimacy hanging over His birth.

Throughout His ministry He had that thrown in His face - "We know who your father is", was the riposte, when He talked of His Heavenly Father.

His earthly family thought He had lost His mind:

Mark 3:21 NLT

When His family heard what was happening, they tried to take Him away. "He's out of His mind," they said.

Surely Jesus could have stood up for Himself and put people in their place, but He stripped Himself of everything - power, privilege and honour - and surrendered to the savageness of human fallen nature.

It was the only way to bring Salvation.

He put me first and asks me to do the same - to put Him first.

I am called to be like Him - putting others first - willingly to be scorned and looked down on in order to exalt Jesus.

I know I'm so far from that, but I'm a work in progress - so are you too.

May we walk a path less trodden, in order to demonstrate the power of humble, serving love.

Put the spotlight on Jesus.