REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Barry Kang who heads Symphony Church in Boston, is an updated version of his blog first posted on April 27, 2013.  He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Philippians 2:3-8 (NIV)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 

Amid looking at the concept of training to become more like Jesus rather than trying to become more like Jesus,  today, I’d like to focus on an essential characteristic of Jesus: his humility.

In Philippians 2, Paul exhorts us to have the same attitude of Christ, “who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”  While the NIV translates this verse accurately, other translations (e.g. ESV, NASB and the NRSV) add a “though” or “although” to verse 6 which does not exist in the Greek text, such as for example, “though he was in the form of God” (ESV).  We add an “although” or “though” instinctively into this verse because it seems to make more sense.  Even though he was God, he was humble.  “How remarkable!” we exclaim.  And it is!  But what if we’re missing the point?  What if Jesus was humble not in spite of being God, but because he was in nature God?  Could it be that our God is in fact the most humble being on this universe?  And the answer is YES!  God’s humility is on display for all to see in the person of Jesus.  

And from Jesus we learn that a humble person is a self-secure person, while in contrast, a prideful person is generally insecure.  A humble Christian serves knowing that he is loved by God, while a prideful Christian serves in order to receive love.  It is only when we know who we are in Christ that we are truly able to be humble.  

So training ourselves in humility is not actually about beating ourselves down to become lowly, but focusing our hearts on God as revealed by the truth of the scripture.  When we can see God more clearly, then we are able to see ourselves more clearly, and humility will naturally follow. 

Prayer: Father, I thank You that you forgive my sins anew every morning.  I thank You that the blood of Jesus covers every one of my sins.  Help me to live this day in humility that comes from being forgiven and in a right relationship with You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 10-11