It is all about Jesus, not us, as we finish our Lenten Journey. This passage underscores that for us. The writer tries to explain for us that our thinking should be like that of Christ Jesus. His mind was a humble servant mind, thinking of how best to serve God and God's people. The writer understood that Christ could have thought, "I am God and I don't need to put up with any of this!" but instead knew that His job was to be obedient and trusting in God, even to the point, the writer says, of "taking the form of a slave." Jesus' humility and love for humanity (that's you and me) took him to the cross, where He died to take away our sin. It has been interesting to hear and read accounts of conversion, of how some have struggled with the idea of sin and personal sin and how those can be removed. John Wesley's account for me remains the most personal where Wesley finally, after a faithful career of preaching, teaching and serving, came to the realization that Jesus had indeed died for his sins, "even mine" as Wesley wrote. Another wrote that as he prayed he literally heard the chains of those sins fall on the marble floor of the cathedral in which he prayed asking for his sins to be removed. All of this was the work of Jesus at the cross.
Because of Jesus' faithfulness, God highly exalted Jesus and gave Him the name above all names, with the promise that I love reading, "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (vs. 10-11 RSV). This is a promise and it is coming one day. Paul so believed in the urgency of sharing Christ with all nations that he set out on those missionary journeys and made plans for more that were not to be. Paul's heart burned to share Jesus with all who would listen and receive so that one day, that day, the name of Jesus would be exalted by all people in all places. Our work is not done, in fact, it is far from where it should be, and it is up to you and me to share the Gospel in a way that invites, attracts, convicts, converts, and deploys those who come to know the love of God through Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: Loving God, as we near the end of this Lenten Journey, make us aware of how much good we should be about as we seek to share You with others. The harvest is ready; in some places, the need is there to sow; give us wisdom to know what it is that we should do. This we ask in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
