Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
Choosing to Humble Ourselves
Pastor Scott
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
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"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
(Philippians 2:8)
You have to become of no reputation. How did this manifest in the life of Jesus? He "took upon him the form of a servant" (Phil. 2:7). Get more concerned about other people, in lowliness of mind, esteeming others better than yourself. Look beyond yourself. Begin to look to the good that you can produce in other people's lives in becoming a servant. We all know the doctrine, though we don't all walk the walk. The greatest among us is servant of all.
"Yes, and I've become the servant, and I'm proud of it, praise God."
You are not serving anybody but yourself; it's an ego thing for you. The servant isn't proud about being a servant. The servant is the servant because it honors the Lord. It's about being "the unprofitable servant," just doing what I've been called to do. It doesn't make me any better. It's who I am. It's what I'm called to do. Christians prefer others and seek to honor God. They choose against self whenever it becomes an issue.
"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself..." (Phil. 2:8). Did God humble Him? No, Jesus humbled Himself. God will chasten us, but we have to humble ourselves. We have to choose this cross. This death to self has to become something you value. Jesus choosing this, "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." We constantly make these choices to humble ourselves, to esteem others better than ourselves, to walk in obedience and serve as we've been gifted and placed. Humility may place you in a position of prominence or preeminence. Your service might appear to others to be one of authority, gain and prosperity, but it's where God put you, not what you took to yourself. Or it may be one of ruling under in the role of a wife or a child. In reality, men, you are lord of your house, but in the spiritual realm you are fulfilling the role of servant because you are ruling in lieu of. You are representing the will of God to your family and not your own will if you're walking in the spirit. You are not trying to sustain your natural family's traditions and methods, but you love as you have been loved. God has blessed you not because you merit but because He loves, so you minister to your wife and your children. You are able to express that humility--the servant's heart.
Humility is having the ability to truly see yourself and deal with it, because we are not what we think we are. We are beggars. We are weak. We are blind. We are destitute. We are evil through and through, yet God loves us and had mercy on us when we deserved to go to a devil's hell. He was made sin with our sin that He might impute His righteousness to us. We chose to go on serving ourselves and worshiping ourselves, having this image of ourselves that somehow we deserve something. We ignore He that loved us and died for us, and then expect Him to be servant to our prayers. Our prayer time becomes like ordering from a menu or a Santa Claus list instead of a cry of humility that we might be like Him and honor Him for Who He is and not for what He does.
We bow our knee and say, "Your will is right, Your ways are just, and Your wisdom is irrefutable, so I pray, 'Not my will, but Thy will be done.' I don't understand why these circumstances surround me, but I do know this: You are good and Your ways are great. Your mercies endure forever, and I want to use the fruit of my lips to bring thanksgiving to Your name."