Devos

Philippians 2:5-8

His power works best in my weaknessLet the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.

My beautiful bride Anina and I are visiting my parents in Texas for the holidays. We just got home from a nice happy Christmas Eve service. Some carols, lots of candlelight, everyone standing at dramatic moments... you know, the usual. Now don't get me wrong. It's great that we celebrate Christ's choice to come live as we do. It's totally something only God could do... to choose to take a step down the "social ladder" of the universe. Not up. Down. How often do I
choose to do that? So, have you ever heard that phrase, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery..."? It means if you really think something is cool, you copy it. I guess what I wonder is, if this is the season where I really celebrate how cool Jesus is, what am I doing to copy Him? If I was going to take this Philippians passage and sum up what Jesus did, in one word, I'd say "give." Jesus Christ gave. Thankfully, this season brings the perfect opportunity to give. (Confession: Anina and I opened our presents early.) So it's getting late into the evening on
Christmas Eve, and you've probably gone out and finished all your shopping for gifts to give to family and friends. But take a moment tomorrow morning, and think about giving a little
bit more. Is there a soup kitchen in your community? Is there a food bank? Is there a clothing donation center? Is there a womens' shelter? Get creative and think of one more way to give before you go back to school. Because Jesus Christ gave to everyone...

Russell Duren
Christmas, 2007

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