“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8)
In this life-changing passage of Scripture, our beloved brother Paul introduces two outstanding characteristics of our Lord: servanthood and humility.
Every preacher of the Gospel will do well to heed these powerful words. Paul said in the previous verses that we must develop the mind or attitude of Christ. Only then will we be able to experience encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship of the spirit, affection, compassion, joy, and unity in the Spirit.
These beautiful attitudes will allow us to preach and minister in such a way that God will be glorified. They will also allow us to equip the saints for ministry and help in strengthening the Body of Christ. Then we will be following in His steps.
On the way to reaching His goals, Jesus was tempted by Satan, ostracized by his family, forsaken by His closest friends, ridiculed by teachers around Him, sold by a disciple, put on trial by rulers, and crucified on that cross.
Still, He kept going. He constantly remained loyal to His Father. He kept teaching, serving, and working. He spent time with the disenfranchised of the world, praised the common people, and challenged the elite. He always spoke to His Father. In all of this, He never quit.
Because He suffered, we will also suffer. We will experience some of the same struggles that our Master endured. We will be tempted to throw in the towel, to give up, and to bail out. We will be tempted to quit.
Like Jesus, we will be able to keep going, to remain faithful and steadfast as we grow in servanthood and humility!
