October 18, 2024

Philippians 2:5-11  (HCSB)
Christ’s Humility and Exaltation
5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Kim Ivey
Wow. Do you see how this passage directly relates to what we’ve been reading in Romans this week? If you don’t, go back and read Romans 14:1-15:13 (it won’t take long) then read today’s passage again. In learning to “surrender our rights” in obedience to Christ, we are practicing a spiritual discipline of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?). And what did He do? He surrendered His right to life in order that we might come to Him. What?! How am I supposed to adopt that attitude (vs 5)? Romans 12:1 instructs us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God....” We give ourselves to Him. We obey Him. How do we know what to obey? We read His word; we attend church and surround ourselves with strong believers and doers of His word; we learn how to pray and do it consistently. We live in relationship with Jesus Christ. And we do what He tells us to do. Because we know that one day, every single knee will bow before Him and declare Him as LORD.