The Pursuit of Happiness Daily Devotional -11

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-7 | ⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form.

Jesus’ entire life was a lesson in the power and practice of humility. He did not hold onto His divine prerogatives but went through kenosis, or emptying. The longest journey ever undertaken was from heaven to earth, from eternity to time, from the realm of love and light, to the broken terrain of human history.

Jesus relinquished the honors, the authority, and the security of the divine life, and embraced the role of a servant/slave. Instead of reducing our conception of God, this has elevated our understanding of service. To set aside status and power in order to help another, becomes a new measure of spiritual maturity and a redefinition of divine freedom. God is free to serve and save others, to be reduced and humiliated to demonstrate His love. His is free to be with and for others, even at the risk of being misunderstood and rejected.

Have you ever had to empty yourself?

How do you define freedom? How does it relate to service?

Tags: service, humility