“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:5–8, KJV)
The previous devotion delt with the necessity of humility in the Christian life. Years ago, I met a pastor who took over a small struggling church. He was formerly a certified church growth consultant. He had all the credentials that would lead one to believe that he might turn a small church around. He was quite confident in his training and methodologies. So, he went into the church and decided to make some major changes. I will not go into the details of the changes, but things did not work out well.
As it worked out many people left the church. It significantly declined in size. Now, I do not think that where he wanted to take the church was wrong. I do not even think the changes were unbiblical. However, what I saw was a man overconfident in his own abilities who focused on building an empire versus shepherding the body. Basically, he was not the example of humility.
Paul presented the contrast here by giving us the supreme example of humility. It is the example seen in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul commands believers to have the same mindset that was demonstrated by Jesus.
Jesus came on the scene as the infinite and eternal God-man. He is the Immanuel, God with us. However, being fully God, He demonstrated the life of the perfect humble servant. The English Standard Version captures the thought best in stating that He “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,” (Philippians 2:6, ESV). He did not rigidly hold onto the manifestation of deity. This is clearly seen in His work on the cross.
On the cross as God, Jesus had the infinite power of God, by which He certainly could have delivered Himself, but He did not. Instead, He chose to suffer the agony of the cross, taking the punishment due everyone of us for our sin. Thus, He forsook the outward manifestation of God for our benefit.
This is the point for each of us. Jesus gave us the greatest example of humility that has ever ben demonstrated to man. This is the divine standard for the Christian life. It is our goal. It is our struggle. For humility is something totally contrary to the way of this world system. Pride is the antithesis of humility and pride is the thing with which we all will struggle.
Pride is perhaps the last great sin stronghold in the believer’s life. Dealing with vices, anger, coarse language and such is very elementary. These are the first things that the Lord works on in our lives. Yet pride is more sinister because is so ingrained in our old DNA. The only way we can overcome pride and demonstrate true humility is to first recognize that it is something inherent in our old nature and that it is the lure of the world system.
As one matures in the faith, the believer will become more like Jesus and demonstrate a greater ability to combat the problem of pride. Wherever we may find ourselves in our growth towards Christlikeness, we must be constantly vigilant regarding this sinister evil of pride. We work to follow the example the Christ set for all of us, that of being the humble servant of God that seeks to live to bless others and give glory to God.
Renewing the Heart 