Philippians 2:5–11 (NRSV)
Read Philippians 2:5–11 on biblegateway.com
Verse 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, Verse 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, Verse 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, Verse 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross. Verse 9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, Verse 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Verse 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Devotion
Humility is one of the greatest attributes a person can have, but it is consistently undervalued in our society. We celebrate those who are brash and arrogant—look at that confidence! But we only need to look at Jesus Christ to see the value and the necessity of humility. Jesus Christ is God; his power is unmatched. Yet he humbled himself, taking on the burdens of his people, suffering pain and humility and finally death. In turn, he was exalted by God the Father. Compared to Christ, what do we have to be arrogant about? What do we have to boast about? I am an academic, a career in which there is no shortage of ego, but many fields have similar grounds for pride. But truly what do we have to boast about? This life is transitory, and our work will not last through the ages. Everything we have is a gift from God. We can boast only in the Lord, putting off worldly honors and praise. We should follow Christ’s example of humility and love.
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Prayer
Gracious God, we pray that you bless us with the gift of humility and that our boasting be only in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.