Friday, March 21, 2014
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
THE CROSS: A LESSON IN OBEDIENCE
In the simplest sense of the word, "obedience" is doing what you're told. But there are different reasons for obedience. People sometimes go with the flow because that's what everyone else is doing. People sometimes do what they're told because they fear the consequences of doing otherwise. People sometimes follow orders because of a sense of propriety -- this is what I'm supposed to do. But on the noblest end of the spectrum, people are obedient to someone because of trust.
Obedience which springs from trust is the type that the God of the Bible seeks. That's why when God was about to give the Ten Commandments, he reminded the Israelites that he was the God who had just rescued them from slavery (see Exodus 20:1).
Imagine for a moment what God the Son experienced. He became human, in obedience to the Father's will. He came under the care and authority of a poor couple, Jewish peasants. His whole life became an act of service -- both helping the physically sick as well as helping the spiritually blind. In the end, he offered himself as a blood sacrifice on behalf of all people. He took their sins on his soul and accepted shame, suffering, and death in obedience to the Father's plan.
From Christ's perfect trust came Christ's perfect obedience. And from this came the gift of salvation and forgiveness -- for us. May this gift move us to trust the Father more fervently, and to obey gladly the God who loves us so deeply, and above all seeks to bless us.
