Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Phil. 2:5

your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus

The problem with attitude is that attitude is usually the problem! When we think about being like Jesus I guess we'd prefer to think about the nicer side of things. We're not very comfortable with the self-sacrificing, non-defending, quiet in the face of hostility and misrepresentation side of what Jesus was like.

I wonder if Paul has Genesis 3 in mind when he says of Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Wasn't this the fundamental issue with Adam and Eve? They wanted to be like God. Human beings have always striven to be masters and mistresses of their own destinies. And therein lies our root problem.

In our me-culture it's hard to imagine why, let alone how, we can carry off an attitude of sacrifice and submission without becoming door mats for Christ. But somehow we must find a way. Maybe the next time you are tempted to stand up for your rights, you might stop for a moment and ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen if I let this go?" It might not be as bad as you think, and if it is, does it really matter as much as you thought it did?

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