December 7, 2011 … Christ As A Servant – As a SLAVE

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 7b [ NIV - see highlight passage in bold/underlined] … 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!

Philippians 2: 7b [NASB] … 7b …, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur ends his Strength For Today devotional on this date, while focusing on today’s verse, but also by quoting the words of Jesus in Matt. 20: 27, where our Lord said, “…whoever wants to be first must be your slave [or ‘bond servant’ in the NASB].” And then MacArthur asks his readers if we, who call ourselves Christians, really pursue that model of Christlikeness by serving others in lowliness – as their SLAVE - as we have also read in Phil. 2: 3 – 4. That’s how Christ came into the world to serve as a slave to the will of His father, humbling Himself, even unto the cross, to serve mankind as was the will of His Heavenly Father. And since Phil. 2: 5 commands us to take the attitude of our Savior, we should see ourselves as a SLAVE to our God, first, and then to others as modeled by Jesus.

Today’s highlighted verse (Phil. 2: 7b), uses the Greek term “morphe” when it refers to Jesus taking the “very nature” (or “form” in the NASB) of a bond servant [or more accurately “SLAVE” according to MacArthur]. That, of course, is the Greek word which is the base from which comes our word “metamorphosis” or the more modern term “morph,” which refers to something changing its essence, from one form to another. And as we’ve been studying thus far this month, Christ did this by His “kenosis,” or by emptying Himself of His claims to Trinitarian majesty as He was incarnated into a babe and lived for 33 years as a man, finally dying as the Lamb of God on a cross for all of us. So, as MacArthur points out, Christ, fully God, “morphed” into a servant or slave to live His life as a man on earth. And again we read Paul’s exhortation in Phil. 2: 5, that our attitude, as Christians, must MORPH from our basic sin nature to become that of Christlikeness as we aspire to live like Him. So, above all, the logic and truth of today’s verse would point us to become bond servants of God as was our Savior; and our servanthood to Christ, in our surrender to His Spirit, is our status as bond-slave to Him as we live our lives for His purposes.

Jesus was the ultimate slave model, totally “bonded” to the will of His Heavenly Father - and also to the needs of all of mankind - as He ultimately served us by dying as the suffering servant that we might have eternal life (see John 3: 16). In fact over 700 years before Christ came among us, Christ, the Messiah, was depicted as the One who would become almost unrecognizable on the cross, serving mankind [see Isaiah 52: 13 – 14]. What we’re reading in Phil. 2, is how Christ’s fulfillment of those prophesies plays out in the lives of those who come after Him … those of us who serve Him as His disciples [really, more accurately, as His “slaves”]; and in doing so, those who serve God’s Kingdom do so by serving others.

Christ’s servanthood is our model as we strive toward Christlikeness; and it again begs the question, “Are we, in fact, living out this mandate for servanthood or slavery to our God?” I, for one, have far to go; but I’m bolstered by God’s promise (in Phil. 1: 6) that He is doing a work in me to shape me into His image – and this most certainly leads me to become more of a slave to His Spirit in this process.

But stay tuned; … there’s even more to come about our Servant and Lord.

My Prayer Today: Transform us, Lord, into Your likeness … as a true slave to the Father as we serve others as You did. Amen

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Blogger’s Note: If you’re a follower of John MacArthur’s teaching, as you certainly can perceive I am, you may want to read Dr. M’s book, Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity In Christ, which goes deep into a study of the term “slave” in the New Testament, which is a term which has become watered down and slighted by many Bible translations. That book really helped me when I was writing the journal entry you read above.

May 9, 2011 … Trials’ Lessons: Seeing Greater Reward

Passage of the Day: 1st Peter 5: 10 … And the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.

My Journal for Today: Yesterday in my devotional journal I reflected on the reality that often it is hard to remember God’s love and to trust that He wants the best for His children, especially when we’re confronted with horrible circumstances. I can’t even imagine how difficult it might have been to remain faithful and positive, trusting steadfastly in God, in the midst of the suffering endured by Christians through that horrible far eastern Christmas eve tsunami or after hurricane Katrina when it hit the Gulf Coast. And even here I sit this morning with a grandchild in the hospital fighting off a severe case of pneumonia where the doctors are considering surgery to relieve the pressure of fluid leaking from her lungs into the pleural sacs. So, it’s difficult this morning for yours truly, and I’m sure the mother of our grandchild, our daughter to have enjoyed a Mother’s Day yesterday with her child in the hospital suffering.

Intellectually, I can see what the Apostle James wrote about in James 1: 2 – 3 … that suffering helps to produce endurance in faith …

SCRIPTURE: James 1: 2- 4 … 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

How difficult it is – within our own mind/strength – to “consider it pure joy” when we’re encountering trials and suffering. I think any rational person, with any degree of life experience, would say that we learn the most and do, in fact, develop perseverance more readily from trials than from the smooth and easy times. However, that doesn’t make it any easier to choose to be joyful and faithful in the midst of troubles or pain.

However, Peter is teaching in today’s passage, and we must accept, that our completion (i.e., sanctification) as Christians will take place as we experience suffering in Christ’s Name and for His sake; and we do so that we might one day reign with Him in glory (see also 1st Tim. 2: 12). Christ suffered the most for God, the Father; and now He has been raised to the highest position, at the right hand of God. And like James and John had to learn (see Matt. 20: 20 – 23), … in fact all of Christ’s disciples had to learn and accept that we must become suffering servants, as was Christ (again read Isaiah 53), so that we can be come elevated and glorified as Christ was in heaven.

Therefore, to the degree that I’m willing to serve our Lord and to suffer for Him, denying self. and seeking to follow our Savior, I will be lifted up to a more exalted role of lauding Him in heaven.

My Prayer Today: Worthy is the Lamb!!! Amen

March 22, 2011 … The Humility of Jesus’ Servanthood

Passage of the Day: Philippians 2: 6 - 7 - … 6 Who, [Jesus] being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

My Journal for Today: John MacArthur in his devotional Strength for Today for this date reflects on the essential servanthood of Christ. And as I wrote yesterday, if we are to follow the Apostle Paul’s exhortation [from God’s Spirit] to be like Christ in our attitude (see Phil. 2: 5) and practice a life of Christlikeness (see Rom. 12: 9 – 13 and Gal. 6: 9 – 10), we’ve simply (yes, I know it’s not easy!) have to follow the lead of Christ’s model of servanthood.

Jesus declared (quoted in Luke 22: 27), “I am among you as the One Who serves.” And in point of truth, He fulfilled everything that Isaiah had prophesied about The Messiah as the Suffering Servant in Is. 52: 13 – 14 …

SCRIPTURE: Is. 52: 13 … See, my servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at Him — His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness — …

How wonderful – though admittedly challenging – to follow a living Lord Who is the personification of humility, meekness, and servanthood. Jesus was the true “Diakonos” [see the Greek for “minister” or “servant” in Matt. 20: 26 and 23: 11-12] … our Servant Leader; because as Jesus said in John 12: 26, “Whoever serves Me must follow me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

And I don’t know about you, whomever might read this; but I want to be honored by my Heavenly Father; and it’s clear that the only way that will happen is my first taking the attitude of a “diakonos” just as His Son was, my Savior and Lord. And when we take on that role, in both attitude and action, God, the Holy Spirit pours His grace into our servanthood; and we light up like beacons of humility (i.e., Christlikeness) in the darkness of sin and pride [i.e., which is this, world].

So, may we follow Him so that we can lead others to the Light.

My Prayer Today: Help me to be more like You today, Lord … then even more tomorrow, … lighting the way for others to find You or move closer to You. Amen

2009 – Day 268.Sept 26 – Set Free

Passage of the Day: Job 42 … Linked for study …

My Journal for Today: I agree with my devotional shepherd, Chuck Swindoll in his book, Great Days with the Great Lives, that Chapter 42 of Job, especially the first eleven verses is a wonderful representation of what happens at the cross. And you know, the times I had read this victorious chapter earlier, I had never really seen it that way.

Oh, I saw Job being restored after his prayer for the three “friends” who had done him wrong [see this memorable passage of restoration in Job 42: 10]. And I had seen God’s justice coming into balance after it had seemingly been out of balance for so long with Job getting the short end of Satan’s stick. And I saw Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar having to humble themselves before God and Job. But until Pastor Swindoll helped me see it, I had never seen how God – as He did at the cross – released His justice and mercy so that the power of His grace could be worked out in one final efficacious act of love. I had never seen Job as a personification of what our Lord did for us on the cross.

Yes, that’s what is happening in Job 42; and it’s what happened at the cross. Job prayed for the three men here; and on the cross Jesus prayed, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” And in Job’s act, as well as that of the Lamb of God, sinners were set free – forever. And Job was then fully restored into his former glory, just as God, the Father, did for Jesus when The Father’s Son ascended back into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God, the Father, re-established into the glory which He had so ignominiously set aside to walk in agony as a servant of mankind (see Phil. 2: 5 – 11 - link provided).

Oh, my friends, isn’t the balance of God’s justice and His grace so, so perfect? And here, in this story of Job’s serving God, we see a picture of the suffering Servant, Jesus; and we must stand in awe of what our Savior went through to serve His Father and what He did in His earthly walk to suffer for my sins (and yours). Job becomes another of the arch types of The Christ that we study to realize whom we must become as God’s Spirit reshapes us into His image for eternity.

So, we must ask ourselves, are there any in our lives for whom we need to pray, “Forgive them, Father, for they really didn’t know what they were doing when they wronged me”? Do we need to repent our confused and selfish heart, as did Job, when we experience tribulations in this life and we’re tempted to ask, “Why, me, Lord?” Do we need to be more patient – as was Job in his account – realizing God truly does work out ALL things for my good and His glory [see, of course, Romans 8: 28]? This has been a good review for me to do the self inventory which Paul spoke of in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [linked] to see if, indeed, my faith sees Christ is in me and I trust His Spirit for all that is going on in my life.

Perhaps we all need to take that test and see if we have the patience of Job [and Jesus] in our hearts.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know I need to do more to see Your fruit of patience mature in my heart. Amen