Our scripture this morning is Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT).
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. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
I often ask how God could plan something so awful for His beloved Son. I know we often hurt those closest to us as humans, but thankfully God isn’t like us. Why then did He set in motion such a terrible occurrence?
Dr. J. H. Jowett writes in the Bible Exposition Commentary “Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.” Jesus gave up His throne at the right hand of God the Father and obediently became one of us so that we could be saved. He knew exactly what He faced here but He gave Himself up for us anyway.
Jesus taught us that no matter what terrible things happen here, nothing can separate us from His love. Our God is an awesome God and while we may totally mess things up through our own actions, nothing we do can interfere with His plan for all of creation. When we go to Him in repentance, we can be healed.
Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to love and save us. Help us to love each other as He did and go in Your name to share the joy of salvation with everyone. Amen.
