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Good morning.
Would you agree with me if I said Jesus was used to the ultimate of glory and honour before He came to earth? He was worshiped by angels and was forever in the presence of His Father and friend the Holy Spirit.
When He came to earth, however, He walked among the simple of heart - the sinners, poor and needy. In Isaiah 53 Jesus’ earthly nature was revealed. If you have a moment, you may find reading it prayerfully very thought provoking. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2053&version=NIV1984. What was the nature of the person whom the Lord God sent to set the example for us? Was he strong, well-dressed in a shiny suit, smooth talking with impressive words chosen to please people in order to increase his popularity? I read that “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not,” (verses 2, 3).
We often declare we want to be like Jesus. Do you mean like the Jesus portrayed in Isaiah 53... really? Then why do we desire to be popular and to impress people with our greatness? Why are we then interested in status and shy away from those in life that are not our style or class – the poor, sinful and dirty?
After Jesus sent out the seventy-two, they “returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name,’” (Luke 10:17). They were mainly interested in the power they’ve experienced, but then Jesus cautioned them: “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven,” (V20). This is what is important to Jesus – that the humble and obedient are with Him in heaven. Jesus had all the glory before He came to earth, yet He didn’t have His people with Him. They were all in ‘the place of waiting’ – the righteous on the one side and the unrighteous on the other (Luke 16:19-26 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2016:19-26&version=NIV1984. Only after He died He took the keys of ‘the place of waiting’ and released the saints to join Him in heaven.
After He shared this important fact with the seventy-two, He prayed something significant. “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure,’” (Luke 10:21). So if we are well educated we don’t stand a chance to get revelation from the Lord? It’s not about education, but about attitude. Do we rely on our education and status (Proverbs 3:5, 6), do we want to impress with it, and do we consider ourselves having a license to God’s knowledge due to our education?
It’s not that Jesus would like to reveal these amazing truths to literal children, but rather having us being like children so we can receive it. “He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven,’” (Matthew 18:2-4).
You ain’t seen nothing yet if you haven’t humbled yourself before God. The Lord desires for us to know Him on earth while we’re living for heaven, and in heaven there’s no place for pride.
Lord, I desire to be humble like Jesus was.
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