Experiencing Jesus Together Through LentNäide

Day 12:

Scripture:
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 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, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8(NLT)

A Call to: Reflect

As a child I liked to watch superhero’s. One of my favorites was SuperMan. He was disguised as mild-mannered Clark Kent, but then when a major crisis happened, he would slip into a phone booth and become SuperMan! “Faster than a speeding bullet - more powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap a tall building in a single bound.” I would love it when the bad guy would show up and SuperMan, in his power, would crush the evil!

Good should always triumph over evil - but we don’t see this in the first part of the Lent story - at least what we can see in the time frame up until the cross. Jesus, who we can’t even compare to SuperMan because He is infinitely greater,  takes a different approach. With all the “super powers” of God, He empties Himself of those and clothes Himself with humility. He is obedient to a bigger plan and allows Himself to apparently “lose.” While He could have exercised His power and destroyed those who were persecuting Him, instead He chose to humbly die a painful death on the cross. But that’s not where the story ends. His humility and obedience lead to resurrection and life for all who believe! And for generations to come!

Jesus taught the greatest in the kingdom would be the least. He not only taught this, He also modeled it during His life and in His journey to the cross.

Reflection:
For a moment think about humility and your life. Are there areas where you need to empty yourself of your pride?

Praise + Prayer: 

Lord, I know You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. Reveal any blind spots in me so that I can empty myself of them. I want people to see Jesus through my words and actions. In Jesus’ name, Amen