Wednesday 14.07.2021
Php 2:3-11 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 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. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Bible gives us an important teaching here to count others more significant than yourselves. This is contrary to the teaching of the world. In the world, we see, cut throat competition going on to establish one’s superiority over others. In today’s world, in order to get a good job, to get a seat for admission in an institute, etc. It becomes imminent that you prove yourself to be superior to others. After proving your smartness, intelligence, wisdom and skill before everybody in the multiple interviews or counselling conducted you get through and are recruited for a job. It is a proved fact that you got the job only on your merit. Now how can you count others who work under you or who were not selected in the interview, more significant than yourselves? Here comes the need of getting transformed by the renewal of human minds.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus(Phil 2:5)
What was the mind of Christ Jesus? He was equal with God. But He was prepared to give up equality with God for our sake. I know one boy and a girl who are cousins. Both of them completed MCA in the same year. Both attended interview in the same College for a teaching post. But there was only one post. The girl was selected because she was smarter and secured more marks in the interview. But she said to her cousin, “I will withdraw so that you become eligible for the job. I will search for a job somewhere else.” When I asked her why she showed such a sacrificial attitude, she told me, “I have my parents to take care of me. But he lost his father and he is the eldest of the family. He has to take care of his siblings too. “ God blessed her with a good job, a good husband & a good family and today she is flourishing in the society. The Lord blessed her more than the boy. This is exactly the meaning of the verse, Phil 2:4
Lucifer was a creation of God. But he wanted to be equal with God and made a futile effort to achieve that . So he not only lost his position for ever but deceived humanity and made us all captives and slaves to him. When Jesus Christ came to the earth to redeem us from the slavery of satan. He gave up His position of equality with God, and took human form and became a slave Himself and came forward to accept crucifixion, a punishment given only to slaves those days.
It is said, Jesus emptied Himself. He gave up everything which belonged to Him in heaven. Since he bore all our sin and curses on the Cross on Calvary, God the Father had to forsake Him. Jesus lost all connections with the Father and cried out,
“ Father why did you forsake me?” This is how He emptied Himself.
Since He came forward to empty Himself to fulfil the will of His Father,
God raised Him from the dead and gave Him a name which is above all the names on the earth and in heaven.. For His name, all that is on the earth and in heaven .bow down in respect.
Even satan trembles at the name of Jesus because Jesus crushed the head of satan and redeemed humanity from his slavery.