Scripture:
Though he was God,[a]
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b];
he took the humble position of a slave[c]
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,[d]
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Application: No one likes to do things the hard way. We look for the fast easy solution. This isn't always the best one and often it doesn't last. Think about a home renovation like painting: the quick and easy way means that it might look good for awhile but it won't last and will often look worse in time then when it started if you don't take the time to patch the holes, tape off the baseboards, or prime the surface properly. It's much harder to look at the root cause than to just fix the exterior. Jesus did things the hard way. He came to earth to endure life in an imperfect world and then suffered and died to pay the price of our sin. He looked at the root cause. We sinned. We wrecked our relationship with God. We needed a Saviour. God could have just wiped out humanity as a just punishment. He could have also created us without free will. We were bought with a price and have the chance to choose it or deny it.
Prayer: Creator God, You have always done things the hard way, the right way. We fail You often as we search for quick fixes and easy solutions. It was no easy solution when You sent Your son in our place to die and accept the punishment we deserved. Thank you for Your divine plan of redemption. Amen.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Isaiah 62:6-65:25, Philippians 2:19-3:3, Psalm 73:1-28, Proverbs 24:13-14
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