Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:1-11 (New International Version)

1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Hi all. I haven't posted here in months. My unfaithfulness to this blog is not a reflection of my walk with God, but it is an accurate portrayal of my unfaithfulness to the reading of His Word. Bible Reading is not my thing; I find it one of the most difficult practices of my Christian life. Yet, I desire to hear from Him... ah boy. Anyway.

This passage is packed with so much meaning. This is one of passages that was looked at at Bible Study on Wednesday. The pastor was using the passage to talk about Christ's Lordship and demonstrate the depth of Christ's Lordship, but the passage spoke to me in another way.

Two characteristics of Christian life that I constantly struggle with are 1) Forgiveness and 2) Humility. I still have problems letting go of what J and D did even though we are on cool terms and it happened over a year ago (see "The Battle" blog for those details). And it is hard to be humble when people gas your head and make you feel like the coolest thing in the world. But look at Jesus. He was God, and he knew it. But he "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" (verse 6). The dude was God! He had every reason to be gassed. But he did not boast about his divinity or equate Himself with the Most High. He made Himself nothing and took the form of a servant (verse 7). God, of all people, was humble. What do I have to be proud about if the Creator of the universe was humble?

Food for thought.