Philippians 2:5-11

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11 NIV

One of several things that Paul has been teaching in the verses we've covered to date is that we should treat others as if they were more important than we are. That we should put others needs above our own needs. Paul writes verses 5-11 to give us the ultimate example of treating others as more important than ourselves. And, in turn, reminds us that we should praise the Lord for all he gave us when He sent his only son into this world.

Paul gives us the example of Jesus coming to earth in the form of a man. Jesus left his heavenly home and came to this earth in the form of a man so that he could die on a cross in order that each one of us could have a new life. A thought that I found as I studied that really spoke to me was that Jesus gave up his stature and privilege in heaven to come to earth to live with us. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul writes of Christ, "though he were rich, yet for your sake became poor." This is to reinforce that Jesus gave up that privilege and honor that he deserved and he temporarily gave it up for us. For each one of us, so that we could have a life eternal with Him if we so choose. I read that and think, "How can I NOT choose to follow Christ?"

To take this one step further, verses 10 and 11 state that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Take a moment and really think about what Jesus did for us. Think about how he temporarily left His heavenly home and came to earth in the form of a man to live with us and like us. He gave up his life for us and died a painful and disgraceful death by crucifixion. How can we not bow at the sound of his name and worship Him? How can we keep our mouths tightly shut and not proclaim his praises?