Mid-Week Devotional

Trust

 

            My Sunday School class is studying about Jesus.  We are exploring who and what He is.  In preparing for the class, I looked up Philippians 2:5-8.  It is a great Bible passage to show both the divinity and the humanity of Christ:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (ESV).

 

Yet, as wonderful as those verses are for showing that Jesus is God and man, the Apostle Paul had another purpose for writing them.  He was challenging the Philippians to have the mind (or the attitude) of Christ.  Of course, that challenge applies to us as well.  So, just like the Philippians, we need to understand something about the attitude of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that humility is an important aspect of the mind of Christ.  God the Son is equal with God the Father.  Nevertheless, Jesus humbled Himself and obeyed the Father.  Through all of His suffering, He obeyed the Father; even through a humiliating death.  And Jesus did not do this because of self-interest.  He did it for us.  Jesus, God Himself, had the humility to suffer and die for us; sinful creatures who are totally unable to redeem ourselves.

Nevertheless, as always, I believe there is more to notice in that passage.  A major element of Jesus’ humility is His trust in the Father.  There is a sense in which Jesus didn’t want to go through the suffering He faced.  Before His trials and crucifixion He prayed “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (see Matthew 26:39, ESV).  But, He trusted the love of the Father so much that He finished His prayer with the words “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  Jesus went through rejection, betrayal, pain, death, and suffering for the sins of all humanity.  None of us can imagine what that was like and through it all, Jesus trusted His Father!  A major element of Jesus’ humility is His trust in the Father.

So, I ask, do I trust our God enough to humble myself and obey Him?  Can I obey Him even when I really, really don’t like where He is taking me.

I believe there is another thing to see here as well.  God the Father trusted God the Son to complete the work of our redemption.  He trusted Jesus to go through all the rejection, betrayal, pain, death, and suffering required to atone for our sins.  That leads to another question.  Can God trust me?  Can He trust me to do the things He gives me to do?  Can I obey Him even when it appears to benefit others more than me?

There will probably be seasons in all of our lives when we need to ask those questions of ourselves.  Or maybe, God the Holy Spirit will ask us, “Do you trust me enough to humble yourself and obey me?  Can I trust you to do the things I give you to do?”  To the extent that we have the mind of Christ, we can answer, yes!

A few verses further in Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12–13, ESV).

 

Did you catch that?  Whether or not we like what is happening, it is God who works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure!  He knows what He is doing.  We can trust Him enough to humble ourselves and obey Him.  And, if we have the attitude of Christ (if we are in Christ), He can trust us.

Near the end of his time on earth, the Apostle Paul wrote:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (II Timothy 4:7–8, ESV).

 

It sounds like he had the mind of Christ.  May all of us be able to say the same thing.

 

Dean Claus

NDI Director, Longmont Nazarene Church