THE COSMIC U-CURVE
Opening Prayer
Kneel in the presence of Jesus. Use the position of your body to express your worship as you acknowledge him as Lord.
Read Philippians 2:5–11
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Think of a winding road: you start driving in one direction, moments later to find yourself driving in the opposite direction.In the Graeco-Roman world humility was not considered a virtue. In fact, the word meant something like “crushed” or “debased.” It was associated with failure and shame. Instead, the pursuit of honor, reputation and power was considered virtuous.
This passage, possibly an ancient Christian hymn, describes the journey of the Son of God. It begins at the highest point imaginable, equality with God, and moves downwards through incarnation, servanthood and suffering to the lowest point imaginable, shameful death. Then it rises, through resurrection, to “the highest place.” It is like a great U curve.
The participle in verse 6 (“who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage”) should, perhaps, be translated, “because he was God, he humbled himself.” In other words, humility is not a temporary aberration required by the incarnation: humility lies at the very heart of God’s nature and should lie at the heart of the Christian community. It is the U curve that runs through the whole of creation, which will one day acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord.
Apply
What would it look like for your circles of influence to be characterized by the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had, and how could you play your part to help them to attain that attitude?
Closing prayer
Pray for your circles of influence.
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