⏱ 7 min read

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”– Philippians 2:5–8 (NKJV)

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Apostle Paul describes a mind we should have which was in Christ Jesus. This is how Jesus was thinking in His mind. If there’s one word that captures this mindset of Jesus, it is humility. Humility is first of all a mindset.

It is not a gift you’re born with, neither is it a spiritual gift – it is a mindset we must develop. It is a way of thinking. And as believers, we are not only to bear Jesus’ name but also to walk in His mindset. How do we cultivate this mindset and live it? Paul helps us by describing the nature of Jesus’ mindset:

1. He did not consider it robbery…“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” (Philippians 2:6). Many people think they are being cheated out of better things. Humility is a mind that does not think ‘I am being cheated.’ Jesus did not think He was being cheated when He had to give up Heaven and His authority as God to come down and save mankind.

Example: Some people are not happy in their relationships and marriages because they think they didn’t get the best: “I deserve better; a beautiful lady like me; a nice man like me; I am higher than this grade of life; a powerful talented person like me; look at where I am… I deserve better.“

• Pride always seeks to want something else – gain the upper hand – often at the expense of others. But humility teaches us to be content and work with what we have, whether we abound or are abased (Philippians 4:12)

• True humility accepts life’s seasons with grace, trusting that God’s plan remains good even when we seem to have the short end of things. Don’t think you are being cheated when you’re walking with God.

2. He made Himself of no reputation…“But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:7). In our world today, titles, jobs, and social positions often define identity and status.

Yet, the Bible says that, Jesus “made Himself of no reputation.” The Greek phrase for “he made himself of no reputation” literally means “He emptied Himself.” He did not cling to His title, status and divine privileges nor worry about human opinions.

• As followers of Christ, we are called to do the same, to empty ourselves of pride, self-importance, titles, and the constant need to uphold an image. Being concerned about your reputation is a sign of pride.
• As you serve God, you are going to encounter people who will have all kinds of opinions about you. Can you handle that?

• Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less, so that you can truly serve others (Philippians 2:3). Jesus demonstrated this by washing the feet of His disciples – He made himself of no reputation as an example for us to do same (John 13).

3. He took the form of a bondservant: A servant has a form; something that makes it easy to tell that this person is a servant.

• One, is the willingness to accept simple basic conditions of service. In any household, the servant’s quarters are far simpler than the master’s. The servant does not demand an airconditioned room with italian tiles before he/she can serve.
• Jesus accepted to be born in a manger to poor parents when He was sent to save mankind. After 2000+ years, it is still a low basic condition that most of us will not accept.

• Another form of a servant is to recognise the need for training and learning. He doesn’t think of himself as one who knows it all but remains trainable. Through this humility, a servant gains valuable skills for service. Humility means being teachable, acknowledging that you do not know anything, and being willing to learn.

4. Jesus came in the likeness of man. To be humble is to remember: “I am human”, and hence what happens to mankind can by all means happen to you. This understanding keeps us gentle, compassionate, and wise in our dealings.

• A servant of God is not exempt from the common issues and temptations of mankind. eg. You are likely to have lustful tendencies, so avoid all appearances of evil and flee when they appear! And if you’re burning, marry!

• You are not superman or superwoman, you’re a man. You will need to work on personal discipline, speech, hygiene, health, responsibility, keeping relationships, giving and receiving help, etc. Being mindful of your frailty as a human is an expression of humility.

5. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death.

• Humility is an intentional active response. It is a do-it-yourself project! Many things in life have the power to humble us and these include; sickness, destruction, death, debt and many more.
• It is wise to humble yourself personally than for God or the storms of life to humble you. Jesus humbled Himself. Don’t wait for circumstances to humble you – do it yourself – humble your own self. Take active steps towards humility!
• Jesus’ humility was demonstrated by becoming obedient, even to the point of death: This is not the kind of obedience that fades when the circumstances become unfavourable, it is one which remains even in extreme situations (point of death).

May we humble ourselves and become obedient to God like Jesus did; even in extreme situations.

The amazing testimony of this humility is that it rewards. God’s promises do not fall to the ground: humility brings grace, exaltation, lifting and greatness.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

– Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV)

The truth is that true exaltation from God follows humility. Many people often rush for exaltation, but neglect this. However, our Christian walk is to be like Christ – to walk the road Christ walked – and follow His example. There is no alternative to this; we have been called to a life of humility, sacrifice, service, obedience on the road to great glory!

If we desire to share in the glory, we must first share in Jesus’ mindset of humility. Your life will be a glorious one in Jesus’ name!

Hey, you're blessed and highly favoured and dearly loved!
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