“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death–even death on a cross!” ~ Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus did not depend on his outward appearance. He focused on His inward relationship. He didn’t focus on His outward opportunities, nor did He try to set Himself up with being around the politically “right” people. Instead He focused on His trust in God, the Father, and depended on Him each day. That is humility. Humility is knowing and depending on who made you and trusting that He has a plan and walking daily in that plan. It’s not being dissuaded or persuaded by anyone. It is trusting in God. That His plan is awesome and better than our fleshly plans. He laid down His life on the cross before He laid down His life on the cross. He put His life on the altar before He put His life on the alter. In other words, we have to laid down our lives inwardly before we lay it down physically on this earth. It all starts inwardly first; it all starts spiritually first. God has a better plan; we don’t trust what we see, we trust what we know and what our God guides us to do each and every single day.

Jesus, “making himself nothing” and “taking the very nature of a servant” was reminiscent of Elijah. He challenged the people serving false gods to a dual. He asked them to set up their alter and he (Elijah) would set up his altar and the one’s whose altar is answered by fire is the altar of the true God. The false leaders were making a commotion but nothing ever happened and no fire ever fell down on the altar. However, Elijah, when it was time for him to set up the altar, “he arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” God doesn’t like “too easy” He wants us to see clearly that He doesn’t need anything to make or be anything. Jesus, by making himself nothing before God, he became who He was in the first place, Everything through which all things were created.

Trust God. He is who He says He is. He is in your life who He says He is. He WILL get ALL of the glory. Continue to walk humbly with Him. In due season He will fire things up.

Learn more about how God made a way for you to smile today here. The joy of the Lord is our strength!

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