Something to Cling to
Normally I use this blog to provide insights pertaining to Christian Higher-Education - highlighting trends and best practices, and providing coaching and consultation toward growing enrollment and growing it cost-effectively. That is our specialty and has been our focus for nearly twelve years now.
However, this is Good Friday and I feel led this time to write briefly about a spiritual insight which I believe God has given to me.
If you subscribe to You Version, you probably saw the Verse of the Day yesterday, which was:
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. Philippians 2:7-8 NLT
This verse always amazes me; that the God of the universe, in the person of Jesus, would humble Himself twice; that He would take the position of a human slave, and would die a criminal’s death. Of course, we know that is because He took our place. We were the guilty ones. We were the ones deserving of a criminal’s death. He came to rescue us and to pay the ransom for our sins.
Just a few verses earlier, we are given a clear instruction to live life with the same attitude that He had:
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. Philippians 2:5-6 NLT
I do not know about you, but I find myself sometimes striving to be on a level-footing with my friends and peers. At times I find this motivating my behavior – both personally and professionally. But that is out of alignment with what the Bible teaches. The Bible is clear that we should have the same attitude as Jesus - doing what we can to look out for the interests of our friends and peers as vigorously as we look out for our own.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4
Equality, or a level-footing is not something that we should cling to.
Of course, there can never be a sacrifice that is even close in comparison to what Jesus accomplished on this earth and on the cross. Still, there is a valuable reminder here to humble ourselves in the same way that He did, and to stay focused on eternity. To keep in mind that, just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so will we be raised in the last days. And to recognize that our troubles and sacrifice will work to our benefit from a heavenly perspective.
Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly out-weighs them and will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:14-17 NLT
Today, we reverently remember the suffering and death of our Savior. It breaks my heart every time I think about the unimaginable suffering that He went through. Yet where would we be otherwise? We can honor His death by reflecting on the attitude of our hearts and minds. Are we living with the same attitude that Jesus had? Is our love for our friends and peers so great that we would humble ourselves, even sacrifice ourselves, to help them? We all look forward to the day when we will be raised, just as Jesus has been.
Eternity in heaven, in God’s presence, is something that we should cling to.
I pray that you are able to take time this day to contemplate Jesus’ suffering and death. And I hope you have a wonderful Resurrection Sunday celebrating the amazing victory that we have been given through Him.
He is Risen!