Christmas and humility
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
Eternity-Inspiration for Saturday 13th December 1997
Christmas and humility
(Philippians 2:5-8 NIV) 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
The Christmas attitude should be one of deep humility and "not
grasping" at things. Mary and Joseph and the magi and the shepherds
and Elizabeth and all the good players in the Christmas story were
humble people. The humblest of them all was Jesus. Here the Son of
God took on frailty, weakness and servanthood unto death. he did not
say "I'm the Son of God I'm not mixing with that lot!".
In Plato's illustration of the cave he talks of cave-dwellers chained
in such a way that they could only see shadows and then one of their
number is taken out and slowly accustomed to the light. When the
"enlightened one" returns and tries to share his experiences the
cave-dwellers cannot comprehend what he is talking about and mock
him, for them the "real world" is shadows. Jesus came from the world
of pure light and holiness into the world of shadows and most it
seems regard the darkness and shadows as the real thing. How hard it
must have been for Him to get people to believe in his world and what
patience and love it must have taken. (The analogy does not hold
all the way as Plato didn't have Jesus in mind when he wrote and
Jesus was not a "cave-dweller" at first but its close enough to be
instructive).
The sheer inferiority of the world we inhabit, its sin, depravity and
blindness, it hardness of heart and its littleness of faith. This
must have been hard on the Son of God and may account for those times
he exploded at people for not believing or having little faith. The
Kingdom of Heaven was so real to Him and so dim to them.
This lowly humble mind that gladly associated with utter inferiors
must be our mind this Christmas. Why not invite someone home this
Christmas who is not so well off, who you can humbly serve and be
Christ to this Christmas? (Luke 14:12-14 NKJV) Then He also said to
him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask
your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbours, lest
they also invite you back, and you be repaid. {13} "But when you give
a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. {14} "And
you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be
repaid at the resurrection of the just."
Prayer:
Lord serving others seems very hard, nearly impossible at times.
Start the movement in our hearts that will grow into love and
overcome our deep reluctance to let go of our rights and privileges.
Start that work of grace Lord that will make us humble and courteous
and full of grace and truth like our Lord and Master Jesus
Christ. Amen.
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John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternitymag.com/
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