Worship While It’s Warm

Here’s a familiar passage

Have this attitude in yourselves which is also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likenes of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Phil 2:5-8)

I think sometimes we can become numb to passages like this.  Surely, we who follow Christ and strive to learn His word as accurately as possible glaze over such familiarity as the incarnation with the dismissive tone of “I know that”.  We know that Christ laid aside His deity to be like us to save us…duh!

Yet the passage begins with instructions:  YOU think like this also.  YOU lay aside your rights for the sake of others.  It wasn’t just that Christ lay aside the glory and majesty due Him, but it did so for an express purpose…us.  He had the ability to blast the religious leaders out the water and toss Rome on its head.  The glorious appearance of His second coming, when ALL will see His majesty will be in full view, could have been unveiled with His first appearance.  After all, isn’t that what the Jews were expecting?  His attitude could have been “I have the right for you to see me as I am”.  His love for us would not allow Him to do that.  His purpose for reconciliation would cause Him rather subjection to horrific brutality and seemingly dishonor, because there was a greater concern.

And more than reconciliation, God had a purpose to demonstrate His glory through a new administration, called the church.   It was to graft in us gentiles into God’s covenant promises for the sake of showing Christ to the world.  But it requires cooperation and mutual submission of the component parts, which we are.  It requires us to think of the greater purpose.

We think so highly of ourselves, though.  We want credit.  We want for people to see us shine, to see us for who we are.  Often our attitudes are cloaked in spiritual garb to give the allusion of submission to godly mandates.  Surely we would never ascribe to the Pharisetical formula of religious appearance, but I have to imagine that in the deep recesses of our hearts, we want recognition for spiritual giftedness,  inate abilities and godly pursuits.  I confess, I do at times.

We take offense when our rights have been violated, no matter how subtly.   We are quick to respond when people cross us, berate us, ignore us, or disagree with us.  And I believe that at the core of our offense is the desire to have things our way.  Because after all, perhaps we know what’s best.

Yes, most certainly Jesus knew what was best, too; not only the ability for man to be reconciled with God, but for God to demonstrate His glory the church, a body of know-nothing, self-pleasing, pompous misfits that He has deemed worthy to call heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.  This was of far more importance than strutting His rights.  And what He asks is that we have the same attitude, to consider the needs of others that make up the body that you are also a part of, so we can operate as a body and glorify God.  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ.