Re:Verse reading–Philippians 2:1-11 (day four)
“Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient…” He did not give up His power or His authority. He submitted it all to the authority of God. Jesus was willing to suffer and even die to fulfill the will of His Father. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus taught the very same truth. “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) Meekness does not mean weakness…meekness is power under the control of a master.
Are you a strong willed, choleric, type-A personality? Have you placed your will under the control of Jesus? Are you mild mannered, quiet, and a submissive personality? You too are called to submit to His authority. Why would we want to do that (besides the wonderful promise of inheriting the earth)? Look at verse 11…”that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Sounds like a worthy objective for our lives!
Obedience is a good trait to have. Jesus was very wise in submitting himself to the authority of God, the Father. God created the heavens and the earth and is the Most-High of the universe! This verse is a good reminder to us all,
“Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but the one who constructed all things is God.”~~Hebrews 3:4
Obedience differs from conformity. In real life, we, human beings, tend to obey orders because we want to be accepted socially, to receive rewards and because we want to avoid the negative consequences of disobeying. We obey because we believe that an authority is legitimate. Obedience is a good principle to bring peace and social order, but we must be aware of extreme situations in which people obey even when they are required to violate lawful policies and procedures, violate their own values or even commit crimes.
Obedience to God is safe and a wise choice as He has all the power and all authorities over us and over the earth. There is no need to conform to the world in order to be socially accepted by people with equal status. I choose peace over chaos in life and following and obeying God will surely help me reach my peaceful life journey and reach my final destination for externity!
My final thought on personality types just for the sake of curiosity! I am not shy to reveal that I am an ISTJ and I have both A type and B type of personality theory. I am a type B in the sense that I don’t have to win all the times in all situations as in the case of type A personality. I choose battles to fight but will not get upset if someone wins!
Where are you in your life journey? What life destination are you aiming for? What battles are you fighting for? And why do you choose obedience over compliance? Do you agree that Jesus was very wise in obedience to God, His Father, the Most-High in power and authority of the universe? Jesus is my type of leader for eternal life! Great blog topic for the day!!
“THE MEEK are those who are gentle, humble, and unassuming, simple in faith and patient in the face of every affront. Imbued with the precepts of the gospel, they imitate the meekness of the Lord, who says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”~~Chromatius, Tractate on Matthew
Have we found meekness in Christians in the 20th century? I don’t see a lot of them nowadays! Maybe it is the goal we should work on and build on to deserve God’s love for us. Agree or disagree? Please share your thoughts and your findings! Thank you!