Philippians 2:7 - God among Us.
Philippians 2:7 (NLT) Instead, he gave up
his divine privileges; he took the humble
position of a slave and was born as a human being.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Companies that try to market their
products overseas sometimes have a language barrier
to overcome. For instance, a campaign in Italy
for Schweppes Tonic Water translated to
Schweppes Toilet Water. Needless to say, not a lot of
people wanted to drink that.
And when the Scandinavian company
Electrolux hoped to sell vacuum cleaners to American
consumers, they chose the slogan Nothing sucks like
an Electrolux. Something got lost in
translation.
Jesus seemed to have this issue with His
own disciples because they didnt understand
why He had come to this earth in the first
place. Jesus came to this earth to die for the sins
of the world, but His disciples didnt get
that because it was lost in translation.
Their hope and belief was that He would
establish an earthly kingdom then and there, driving
out the Romans who were occupying the land. In
fact, after Jesus fed the five thousand, His most
popular miracle to date, the people wanted to make
Jesus king by force.
What was that all about? They wanted to
make Him the king so He would drive out Rome.
They didnt understand that isnt the reason
He had primarily come to this world.
However, one day Christ will come back
and establish His kingdom. One day, He will rule
as King of kings and Lord of lords. But before
Christ would wear a crown, He would first have to
bear a cross.
Jesus wasnt a mere man. He wasnt
just one of the prophets. He was God coming to us
in human flesh, walking among us. The eternal
God confined himself to a single cell and was
born of a woman in order to be the Savior of the
world.
Who is Jesus to you? Is He the Son of
God? Is He the Savior of the world? [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINKS WITH COMMENTARY PEARL FOR FURTHER
STUDY
Philippians 2:7 - An Amazing Sacrifice.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191211-0927.html
I heard a story about a mother who was
telling her little girl that Jesus lived in her
heart. The little girl put her ear to her moms
chest and said, Im listening to Jesus in
your heart.
Really? the mother said. What
are you hearing?
She said, I think right now Hes
making coffee.
When someone becomes a Christian, Jesus
Christ literally takes residence in his or her
heart. Colossians 1:27 says, And this is the
secret: Christ lives in you (NLT). Then in John
1:12 we read, But to all who believed him and
accepted him, he gave the right to become children of
God (NLT).
So it is accurate to say that we must
receive Christ. And it is accurate to say that
Christ lives in our lives after we receive Him.
In fact, Jesus said in John 14:23, All
who love me will do what I say. My Father will
love them, and we will come and make our home
with each of them (NLT). So when you become a
Christian, Christ literally comes and makes His home
with you.
I think weve romanticized the
Christmas story, depicting Mary, Joseph, and the
newborn Jesus with halos while the animals look on
in reverence. Everything is bathed in blue
light. Its a beautiful scene. But that isnt
the way it was.
God sent His Son from the glory of Heaven
to be born in the most unsanitary conditions
imaginable. It was cold and damp - an unwelcoming place.
But to me, that doesnt diminish the Christmas
story. In fact, it enhances it to think of all God
left to come to us. What an amazing sacrifice it
was.
Jesus left His home in Heaven to make a
home in our hearts. He was born so that we could
be born again. Is Jesus at home in your heart
today? [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
John 1:14 - God Became Flesh.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201203-1007.html
One thing about Christianity that keeps
me coming back for more: God with us. Its
even what Jesuss name means: Emmanuel.
Who can resist a God who became human to be with
us?
What a mind-blowing concept. In my World
Literature class, we read all kinds of sacred texts.
Some texts use descriptive words about God that
are similar to those found in the Bible. There
is a plethora of images of a majestic being, a
creator, a powerful authority figure. But the
similarities end when we get to the idea of Jesus - the
Almighty One - who chooses to laugh and cry, feel
pain, and get dirt under His fingernails.
Louisa May Alcott said, I dont want
a religion that I put away with my Sunday
clothes. I want something to see and feel and live
day by day. Jesus also wanted to see and feel
and live - to dwell - with us.
What did that look like? It looked like
an unwed mother. A family who became refugees.
A king on a donkey. It meant that those whom
religion rejected could join the party. That no one
was unclean. It meant women were special -
bringing baby God into the world, being with Him at
the cross, the first to see His resurrected
body.
And now Jesus dwells in us. We are His
body. He uses our ears to listen, our eyes to see,
our mouths to speak. He touches and heals with
our hands. He walks through the world on our
feet. by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
Faith Step: Today spend extra time
abiding in Jesus. [Mornings With Jesus 2020
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
Isaiah 57:15 - The God The Heavens Can't
Contain Dwells In Every Humble Heart.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20171203-1959.html
It's the miracle of the Incarnation! Our
holy God took on human flesh in the form of Jesus
to pay the price for our sin. So perhaps it's
no surprise to read here in Isaiah that God
reaches down from His throne to people who are
humble in heart.
The almighty God reigns supreme in the
universe. He judges humanity with fairness and mercy.
He is exalted and righteous above all power -
natural as well as supernatural. He alone is worthy
of worship. No wonder He dwells in "the high
and holy place."
But the holy place - that place set apart
for a special purpose - is not in a heavenly,
celestial palace. That holy place where Almighty God
chooses to dwell is in the contrite and humble heart
of a believer.
Do you want almighty God, your Creator,
to come and fellowship with you? Then humble
yourself and develop the kind of temple in which your
Sovereign Lord delights to inhabit. [Being Still With
God Every Day by Henry Blackaby]
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
