Philippians 2:5–7

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

These amazing words form the beginning of what many people consider to be a first-century hymn. They beautifully express the fundamental truth that God’s desire is to turn our thinking upside down. Our natural inclination is to seek power, prestige and recognition but Jesus came to this earth and did precisely the opposite. And that, said Paul, was the attitude the Philippians needed to have towards one another. He wanted to see them ditch all traces of arrogance and to consider others better than themselves. It’s all very challenging.

The humility of Jesus is truly astonishing. He, above everyone else, was entitled to have power and influence and to enjoy a life of ease and comfort but he gladly accepted the opposite. He was willing to endure the ultimate powerlessness of being hung upon a cross and to experience the agony of rejection by his own people and even by his Father. The outcome of his humility was that God exalted Jesus to the highest place of all and gave him the name above every name. Truly, Jesus turns all our thinking about life on its head. And that was the approach to life that Paul encouraged his friends in Philippi to adopt. The only way to be blessed by God is to learn what it means to be truly humble.

So how can we grow in humility? First, we need to acknowledge we cannot become more humble by our own efforts. There is nothing more sickening than someone who, like Dickens’ character Uriah Heap, manufactures an artificial pretence of being “ever so ‘umble”. Humility results from us getting closer to God and allowing his Holy Spirit to do deep work on our character. The grace of humility will grow unselfconsciously and gradually as we love God more. And as we get to know him better we will find, miraculously, that we are start to have the very same attitude as Jesus.

Question

Whose example of humility do you find most inspiring?

Prayer

Loving God, thank you that by your Spirit you are helping me day by day to have the same attitudes as Jesus. Amen

Released on 7 Sep 2024