“And being found in the appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death
even death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:8 (NIV)
“. . . he humbled himself. . . .” Jesus’ attitude was unlike any we have seen. He allowed Himself to be taken from the garden of Gethsemane, away from those who followed and loved Him. The soldiers removed Him to a place where He received beatings, scourging, and the highest form of disrespect-they spat upon Him. Before his agony was over, the soldiers had gambled for His clothing. The soldiers also mocked him, saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
“. . . and became obedient to death. . . .” Our Lord obeyed the Father; accepted God’s will and submitted to the ultimate sacrifice. He gave His very life in order that you and I might live with God forever.
“. . . even death on a cross.” Execution on a cross was a horrible death, reserved for the most heinous of criminals. It seems ironic that Jesus Christ, the only perfect person to walk this earth, would have to endure this kind of treatment. But God chose to allow this to happen. I wonder; did God permit this to come about in this way in order for all of our sins, no matter how horrible, to be covered by Christ’s blood?
Dear Jesus:
We thank You for the sacrifice You gave on the cross for us. We want to live worthy of Your selfless act. We praise You for who You are. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN
I wonder if we'll ever be able to fully appreciate what a sacrifice it was for Him to take on the form of human flesh. But, like one song says, "I'm so glad He did!"
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made. Thank you for this reminder.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend,
Karen
Karen:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I feel sorry for those who don't seem to care about the sacrifice Jesus made.
Susan:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Could it be possible that we will understand when we see Him face to face? I Corithians 13:12b says, "Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."
Thank you for this post. I agree with you--I feel sorry for those who know about Jesus' sacrifice, but don't care. I don't know how people get through life without Him.
ReplyDeleteJean:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thought. I often wonder if people who profess to know Him and don't seem to care about His sacrifice, do they really know Him?
Wow. I am humbled by Jesus' willingness to become a man and die in my place. Whenever someone misunderstands me, I think of Jesus' life, and it comforts me to know He knows exactly how I feel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this devotional.
Jeanette:
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts. We don't realize that people were unkind to Jesus,until we study the Biblical account of His final day. He withstood that for US. He died so we may live with Him and the Father when our time on earth is over. I praise Him for doing that for us.
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