Saturday, December 15, 2018

The Great Emptying

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Philippians 2:5–8

All of the glory and majesty of Heaven were rightfully in the person of Jesus Christ before He came into the world. The infinite perfection of God was His nature and had been since eternity past. The radiance of His beauty was and is beyond the ability of human tongues to explain or human minds to fully grasp. Anything that He purposed to accomplish could be done simply by speaking it into existence, just as He created everything we see in the world around us. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

Yet despite all that He had, Jesus willingly laid it aside. As Charles Wesley put it, Jesus “emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race.” This was not a forced sacrifice, but one that Jesus chose despite knowing what it would cost. His love for us was so great that He was willing to pay the price. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Many people struggle with feelings of failure and inadequacy. They wonder if anyone loves them, or if anyone would still love them if what they truly were became public knowledge. The birth of Jesus is the answer to that question. God loves us, and the fact that Christ emptied Himself proves it.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

The Christmas story is an unmistakable measure of the astonishing love God has for us.