THE REFUGE DEVOTIONAL
“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8 NASBS
Beloved Christian, may the grace of God keep you humble before the Lord Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” You see, through the death of Jesus, God acquitted you of your sin by imputing your sin to Him, and then giving you His perfect righteousness. This was accomplished by your faith which was a gift from God, that is, “Christ in you the hope of glory.”
Understand, this was the only way for the intrinsic nature of humanity, which is prone to sin, to ever be able to come into the presence of a holy, righteous, and just God. This alone necessitated punishing the sins of those whom He called to such a great salvation. Again, we must never forget, there was no other way for a vile wretched sinner to come into His presence, other than through the death of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul affirms this himself. When writing a letter to the church of Ephesus, he said, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
Therefore, chosen of God, holy and beloved, come to the feet of Christ and learn from Him. You need Him daily, for He is the great teacher of lowliness; the one who can show you a true servant’s heart. In the days of His flesh, with love, He walked with His people, He talked with His people, and He dined with them at the table. With even greater love, He set His face towards Jerusalem where He would be crucified and procure salvation on the cursed tree. But even moments before that, He was down on His knees with a water basin and a towel, washing His disciples’ feet. Even with love for Judas, knowing that he would betray Him, He washed his feet as well.
The kind of love Jesus demonstrated for those who come to Him in faith and repentance is unparalleled, because “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” Throughout His life on this earth, He walked with humility and love, constantly lowering Himself, stripping off one robe of honor and then another, until His own creation stripped Him naked and fastened Him to the cross with vengeance. On Calvary, two thousand years ago, He emptied out Himself, pouring out his lifeblood upon the ground, giving up for all of us until they laid Him in a borrowed grave. The scriptures tell us, “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.”
Charles Spurgeon penned concerning this, “How low was our dear Redeemer brought! How then can we be proud? Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed; see the thorn-crown; mark his scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills; see hands and feet given up to the rough iron, and his whole self to mockery and scorn; see the bitterness, and the pangs, and the throes of inward grief, showing themselves in his outward frame; hear the thrilling shriek, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And if you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen it: if you are not humbled in the presence of Jesus, you do not know him.”
May the Lord, through His Spirit, continually bring before us Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. May our thoughts move away from arrogance and pride, to one who empties out themselves for God’s glory. Lord, grant us the ability to say, “For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain.” Saints of God, there is no place at the foot of the cross for pride, for there is not one among us who has earned salvation.
May the glorious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit illuminate our minds so that we might understand this. Amen.