S7P2 – Being Christlike: humble

Philippians 2:7

rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

The Gospels are replete with Jesus’ commands that we humble ourselves.  It is the cornerstone of submitting to Jesus Christ, accepting Him as savior and allowing Him to lead our lives.  It is no wonder, then, that humility is what allowed Jesus to make himself nothing, taking on our likeness and being confined to the conditions of this world.  Without humility, the omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God could not have come to earth in a limited and finite human body.

If I place any pride in my accomplishments, I am a fool, because I can do nothing outside of God.  Nothing I achieve is due to my knowledge and power.  Jesus, on the other hand, had all power and knowledge to come to earth and perform miracles in his own strength.  However, He chose to take on our nature and rely on the Father for everything he did and said.  He could have walked the earth in His own strength and justifiably taken pride in what He accomplished in that perfect power.  Instead, He made Himself like us to set the example.

The life of Christ on earth gives us a picture of what human humility can accomplish in the heavenly realms.  It is Jesus’ humility in submission to the Father that allowed the Father’s power to manifest itself in Him in so many awesome ways.  And He wore this mantle of humility for our salvation to the glory of the Father.  Father, help us to walk in the humility that Christ showed that we may show the world who we follow, and that they may be brought closer to you.