Scripture
Instead He {Christ} emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, and taking on the likeness of humanity.
~Philippians 2:7, CSB
Quote
Jesus went from commanding angels to sleeping on straw, from holding stars in His hands to clutching Mary’s finger, from being worshiped to being despised: Why? Because He loves us and love puts the beloved before itself.
~Max Lucado
The doctrine of kenosis is found in Philippians two. Kenosis is the Greek word for ’emptying’. In order for Christ to be our atoning sacrifice, He had to give up His divine rights. He died in weakness but only because He choose to be weak for oursakes. So many things Jesus did; he did just for our benefit. Jesus did not need to be baptized; He had no sins to repent of but it did it as our example. Jesus didn’t need scripture to defeat Satan, Jesus is the LIVING word and in no way inferior to the written word. He used scripture to teach us how to battle Satan and temptation. Jesus is God, He did not have to live a life of subordination and obedience but He did it for us. He didn’t have to come to this earth; He didn’t have to condescend: He did it willingly. The omnipresent God confined in the wound of a virgin for nine months–that’s a sacrifice. Jesus, name above all names, submitting to earthly parents which meant bringing in the wood and carrying out the garbage. Jesus who never suffered need in heaven but went for more than a month here on earth without eating. Wow! Are you impressed? Jesus, the everlasting God who neither slumbers nor sleeps and who does not grow weary came to this earth and took on the frailties and limitations of a human body and suffered weariness and fatigue.
Still not impressed. Well the above list may be the easiest of all of Jesus sacrifices. Leaving the holy environment of heaven and stepping into this sin cursed world was definitely a sacrifice that we cannot fathom. Jesus had never known sorrow, pain, disappointment, heartbreak; let alone shame and guilt and all the others things that come with sin. Jesus did something at the grave side of Lazarus that he never did in heaven; He wept. The Prince of heaven became the Man of Sorrow. I think He wept for more than one reason but certainly one of them was to reveal his humanity. I think He wept because of the unbelief and the hardness of men’s hearts but the point it, He wept just like we do. Who can fathom this kind of love? I’m not willing to become a rat to save a few dirty stinking rats. I sure wouldn’t let them gnaw me to pieces just to save a few of them. I don’t want to leave the comforts of my home and recliner to live in a stud wall or in a hole in the ground. I know, it is a crude analogy but the jump that Jesus made from heaven to earth was far greater than you and I becoming a rat. To be honest, I doubt that I would be willing to become a sick person to save the sick. Jesus left the sanity of heaven to come to this insane world to save a few. Wow! What love!
- Well the coons won again last night. June goes out and checks the traps before I get up. I think she is pulling for the coons. The first thing she said when I got up was: “The coons got you again.”
- I think, this is not official, that the play ground fund is up to $23,000.00. We were able, praise the LORD, to move the money from the Baptist Foundation that we put there is 2011 in Mother’s honor. Some of it was money given to me as a memorial but we can make the playground the memorial. Mother loves kids, well she loved some kids. She loved Seth, Landon and Trucker {what she called Ryder} but she was not fund of Lara and Lexi. They kept an eye on her and held her accountable and she didn’t like it.
- I got me a new bible yesterday and started reading through: it is the CSB. The Holman Christian Standard revised. I read five or six chapters with no sparks flying. Maybe I will get into it today. The above Blog was more perspiration than inspiration. I am sure you can tell.
- Always pray for our President and our Pastor.
