Obedient to the Point of Death
Obedient to the Point of Death
Philippians 2:3-8 As we put “Pride Month” in the rear view mirror, let’s take a look at the virtue opposing the sin of pride — humility
Photo © 2013, Steven Sande
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was 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 likeness 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.
Philippians 2:3-8 NASB1995
As the end of the month of June arrives, I’ve come full circle on my examination of the Seven Deadly Sins:
and the corresponding Seven Capital Virtues that serve as the remedies for these sins:
The last of these, humility, is the topic for today’s devotional. The word comes from the Latin humilitas, translated as both “humble” and “grounded / from the earth”. It is the opposite of the sin we started off with, pride.
In our time, humility has somehow become a virtue to avoid! Dictionary definitions equate humility with low self-regard and a sense of unworthiness. Have you noticed how most celebrities put all the focus on themselves rather than others? Listen to or watch a podcast or TV talk show, and you’re likely to hear the word “I” repeated at least 15 times per minute… Social media posts usually espouse a personal opinion rather than showing much, if any, concern for others.
Humility is the opposite of pride, which started off this month’s look at sin and virtues. The reason for that first post was that we were about to slide into the month of June, AKA “Pride Month”, the month in which we’re all supposed to be thrilled about a small portion of the population deciding to sin and show their pride at sinning.
In a way, it makes sense that it’s all about pride — these celebrations are all “I” focused. “I” choose to flaunt my sexual preferences publicly while wearing flamboyant clothing (if we’re lucky…) in a “pride” parade; “I” am going to wave or wear my rainbow flag proudly and shame all major corporations into throwing rainbow-colored themes in their advertising; “I” don’t care what the Bible says, “I” am going to continue “My” sexual practices because they make “Me” feel good! And you, Christian, are not only going to tolerate “Me”, you’re going to celebrate “Me”! It’s all about self, not concern or love for others.
Our reaction to “Pride Month” should be grief and mourning, not celebration. We should be mourning for sin, death, and the fallen world. There should be mourning for those who are too self-obsessed with wanting the rest of the world to bless their sin; mourning for those who don’t recognize that they are trading eternity in the presence of God for a short lifetime of sexual deviancy.
There is a message in the midst of all of this ranting. As Christians we should love everyone — because we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God — while doing everything we can to bring the lost to Christ. If a person truly accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and is filled with the Holy Spirit, he or she (there are no “its”) will be convicted of their sin, confess that sin, repent, and move on in their life to something more than showing pride in sinning.
There’s a meme that demonstrates the common argument that goes on between certain members of our secular world and Christians. Thanks to Barb for remembering this one and digging through Facebook to find it!
The verse at the top of this devotional that I’ve chosen as the perfect example of humility is, of course, about Jesus. Humility is the opposite of pride, and in the case of our Savior, He demonstrated the ultimate in humility by taking human form, healing an unknown (but large) number of people from their maladies both physical, mental, and spiritual, and then taking the sin of humanity onto Himself, being humiliated, beaten, and then crucified for our sake.
Photo © June 26, 2023 by Steven Sande
The photos for today’s devotional are some that I’ve taken of rainbows over the years. Let’s reflect on the original meaning of a rainbow before it became the symbol of a horribly proud group of people:
“When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.””
Genesis 9:16 NASB1995
This was God’s promise to Noah, that never again would He send a flood to destroy all life on the Earth. He used a humble man, Noah, whose belief in God was strong enough that he spent years building an ark to save his family and a pair of every animal species (one male, one female) from a devastating global flood. Rather than destroy humanity again, He sent us His son to give us everlasting life.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
God, you resist the proud and give grace to the humble. I pray that You grant me and other followers of Jesus the virtue of true humility, to be like Your Son, who showed the faithful the way. Grant that I never provoke Your anger by my pride, but instead receive the riches of Your grace through my humility. Help me to open the eyes of the proud to Your Word and the humility of Your Son. AMEN.