March 31 - Made strong in weakness
Contributed by
Chris Kingsley, a senior Bible and religion major from Elkhart, Ind. on Wednesday March 31
Scripture
Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though
he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as
something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human
form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of
death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted
him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Devotion
We live in a world where everyone seems to be fighting, warring
and competing for power, prestige and validation. While this is
obvious at the international level or in a capitalist economy, it is
also very much a reality on a personal level. Many of us, myself
included, have spent much of our lives regarding other humans as
threats or competitors or people that we need to prove ourselves
to. We want to be respected. We want to be worth something.
In Philippians, Paul looks to our greatest example, our Lord Jesus,
for a better way to live. Jesus came to this earth not to prove
Himself or to show us just how exalted He should be, even though
He could have. Instead, He came in humility and love. He lived for
others and was willing to go to any length to show us just how
much He is concerned with us and wants the best for us. He lived
not for himself, but for us and for the Father. He rejected the
temptation of self-glorification knowing that the way of love is
humility and servanthood. His concern was not with recognition for
himself, but recognition of God.
While this way of humility, love and obedience seemed to lead to a
devastating end, it was in Christ's full relinquishment of self that
God's power was made strongest. Christ's humiliation paved the
way for the final victory over evil. God's victory came in the midst of
what the world saw as weakness.
Let us follow this example and live for the love of others and for the
love of our Lord Jesus, obeying Him to any length, that He might
be made strong in our weakness and our humility. For this is the
measure of greatness in the Kingdom of God, our eternal home.
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