Practicing unity, which is very important to the body of Christ, is only accomplished when people forget about their agendas and unify around the purposes to which they are called. In the case of Paul, he was calling believers to join together around the truth. God is truth and He has revealed that truth in His word. The church should not create their own plans, but rather submit to the ways of God. Paul has already stated in Philippians 2:3 that nothing can “be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” After commanding this from his readers, Paul looks to the ultimate example of humility – Jesus Christ. Although Jesus is God, He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” This time is known as Jesus’ incarnation, which means that He voluntarily set aside His deity in order to submit to the will of God the Father. Jesus Christ gave up His daily, face-to-face relationship with the Father as well as His authority. Jesus was completely subject to the guidance of His Father and willingly set aside His divine attributes for a time. This is the type of humility Paul is challenging believers to exemplify. How much was Christ willing to humble Himself? “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Most importantly, Jesus came to the earth to live as a man for the sole purpose of being the atonement (substitute) for the sin of mankind. Death was the punishment to satisfy the wrath of God on sin and Jesus willingly died in our place taking our punishment upon Himself. Jesus Christ endured suffering and persecution in order to fulfill the will of God and provide a way of salvation for the sins of mankind. Paul’s message is clear – suffering and persecution will come as a result of submitting to the will of God, but we must humble ourselves before Him recognizing He knows best. In Jesus’ case, God “highly exalted Him” and has “given Him the name which is above every name.” Permit me to make an application to what Paul is saying. Following God will result in bad circumstances, but He will reward those who have carried out His will. I am not saying that we become gods; however, God will reward us with unmentionable blessings as we spend an eternity in heaven with Him. If you are being persecuted for your faith, endure and look forward to what God is preparing for you. John 14 declares that God is preparing a place for His children and will one day come again to receive them to Himself.
Dear God, help me to look past any persecution I face and humbly submit to the ways of God knowing that He will reward me in the future!
