⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

So my thoughts this week have been pretty much dominated by this passage – which was the passage Pastor Jason Helveston preached from last Sunday at church.

This passage is pretty marked up in my bible (as is much of the book of Philippians), but the reality that has been hitting me anew this week has been the profound truth of Jesus’ greatness and humility…and my view of that.

The one word that really hit me square in the forehead was: NOTHING

Jesus made Himself NOTHING.

The “NOTHING” He became was man.

Compared to Jesus, I AM NOTHING

though i act to the contrary at times, grasping at a perceived equality with God. (Oh, i’d never say that out loud, but actions speak louder…)

I think we concentrate on the fact that Jesus came to earth, became like us, and went through all the stuff we go through (except living/responding in a perfect way), often at the expense of our remembering He was/is GOD.

As Jason put it:

We must see Jesus on the throne before we see Him in sandals.

x

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I, like most, am thankful for many things – especially this year, with our adoption story finally becoming a reality.

But most especially, I’m thankful that Jesus became nothing.  Thankful for the humility of Jesus.  I’m thankful for the cross.  Thankful for God’s amazing and radical love.

Maranatha!