Day Nine..Philippians 2:7

(so if He was equal with God and didn't hang onto that, what did He do?)
...but he decided that it would be robbery keep hold of the pre-existant glory He had with the Father and Holy Spirit. Instead He deliberately grasped onto the form of what he knew was the polar opposite. He let go of the Throne and walked into darkness. He clothed himself in appearance of a human, sinful, mortal, a slave to sin and death. He chose to walk in the form of the fallen.

If you have spent any amount of time around me you will have undoubtedly heard one of my "can I ask you a question" stories. This is my favorite string of six words, even better than "you have free pizza for life" or "the surf is really big today". I hear these words after the Holy Spirit has fallen upon a heart of flesh and the person wants to hear the Name of Jesus pronounced out loud.

Today's verse is the best way to describe the Love of God. It's selfless love and sacrifice, it's choosing to take the shoddy and give away the shinny, it takes the coal and gives the gold.

It's an action that selfish human hearts can understand: firefighters who run into burning buildings to save a helpless baby caught in the flames. It's a person running to a burning car on the side of the highway instead of away from it. It's a soldier carrying in his buddy who is "hurt worse" only to die outside the OR waiting for his buddy to come out. It's a mother saying "take my life, but save my baby".

The "hero story" stirs every soul, it's an echo of the image of God lost deep within us. God reminded us of it through Jesus. He could have grasped the brass ring, but he chose to pay the debt for the next ride and give the free one away.

There are two people on Scripture other than Jesus and one in my life that I have seen this lived out.
Moses, after he was told that he personally would not enter the promised land continued to love those whose disobedience cost him his own glory. Paul said he would give up his own salvation so that others would be saved. The one who I watched in my life live it out has forever changed my selfish heart.

That's what is supposed to happen. Has it? Do you really understand what Jesus did for you? Has His example led you to run into danger to save others? Why not? Do you think you saved yourself? Do you think you really weren't in danger? See, Jesus really did it friends, and we are to be as bold in our lives.
blessings friends,
b