Emptying Yourself

"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,  being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” Philippians 2:6-8.

Many have viewed these verses largely from a doctrinal and theological perspective. The previous verse qualifies how we should view them: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5. As He was in the form of God, so are we. As He did not count equality with God something to be grasped, neither should we. As He emptied Himself to take on the form of a servant, so should we. We too, in our human form, are called to radical obedience.

Understanding the meaning of these verses is not so difficult; applying them is a monumental challenge. How exactly do we empty ourselves, take on a servant lifestyle, and radically obey? My personal answer is this: I have not even begun to know how. If I were to assume I knew, I would be anything but honest.

So much of life energy and ambition is spent, not in emptying, but in filling. It is natural to strive for achievement and status. Natural reasoning is that no one will seek to elevate us if we don’t pursue elevating ourselves. And yet, why should this be our objective? From what we know of the earthly life of Jesus, He did none of this. Crowds flocked to Him as He served through healing, miracles, authoritative teachings, and acts of mercy. Fame and recognition, however, was never His focus or goal as He continued a life of radical servanthood.

What if we choose not to care who gets the credit? What if we become so other-centered that we lose sight of being self-centered? Perhaps seriously pondering and acting upon these questions is the beginning of a journey toward having “this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”

©Steve Taylor, 2023 --Used by permission

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