Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross.     Philippians 2:5-8 HCSB

We are about to go full swing into the holiday season. We will jump from Halloween right into Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here before you know it. Our Scripture passage today is one we often read at Christmas, as it speaks of Jesus’ birth and the time when He came to earth as a human being. He was fully man and fully God, which is sometimes a hard concept to grasp.

Today, however, I want to focus on what this means for us. Or, should I say, what this means to us? I want to break this passage down so that we can get a good understanding of its meaning.

First, in verse 5, we are told to make our own attitude that of Christ Jesus. What does this mean? Jesus humbly came to us. The King of Kings left his throne in heaven and came to earth without fanfare. There were no parades, no announcements being heralded, and no red carpet. Instead, angels announced to a young virgin and her fiancé that they would be the parents of the Messiah. How much of this they understood, we don’t know because we are not told. We do, however, know that they were poor, and we will talk about that in a minute.

We know that it was prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, and he was. He wasn’t born in a palace or some grand estate. He was born in what is presumed to be a stable because the Bible tells us He was laid in a feeding trough for animals. It is believed, however, that this was most likely a cave where animals would seek shelter.

He endured all the things we human beings endure. He felt physical and emotional pain. He was tempted by the devil but did not sin.  1 Peter 2:21-25 talks about the example that Jesus set for us. Verse 22 tells us He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth. We are then told He was reviled and did not revile in return. He suffered and did not threaten. Instead, He entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.

He came to this earth as a humble servant so that He could save you and me from our sins. 1 Peter 2:24 tells how He Himself bore our sins on the cross so that we can die to sin and live for righteousness. He healed us by His wounds.

He left His throne in heaven to come to a humble existence here on earth. He was born to poor parents. We know this because in Luke 2, when He was 8 days old, and they brought Him to be presented at the temple, they offered two turtle doves or young pigeons. This exception was made for those who could not afford a goat, lamb, or larger animal to sacrifice.

He suffered ridicule and rejection. He was tempted but never sinned. Yet He bore our sins so that we might be saved. This is what He did for us.

All He asks in return is that we surrender to Him. I know, that sounds like a lot. But when you compare it to what He did for us, it’s nothing. He gave His life for us, and He asks us to give our lives to Him. In giving His life, He could gain our salvation. When we surrender our life to Him, we gain salvation, protection, and the right to be called a child of God.

He humbled Himself for us. Are you willing to humble yourself for Him? When we do this, we gain so much more than we can even imagine. I encourage you to give your life to Him today. He gave His life for you.

Have a great day!