Daily Devotion
The King Who Lived A Life Of True Humility
By: Marissa Wolf
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Philippians 2:5-8
When we think of kings, we often think of earthly kings born into a wealthy, royal family. Sometimes we tend to get so caught up in earthly royal families that our gaze has been swayed from being solely fixated on Jesus Christ. If this happens, we must bring it to the Lord, repent, seek forgiveness, and move forward in holiness. (See: Acts 3:19). Most earthly kings don’t always live up to a life of true Biblical humility, sometimes it's faked and oftentimes they all fall short. (See: Romans 3:23). Jesus is a King who is eternal and will never fall short and He came down in the flesh sent to us by His Father so that the world through Him might be saved. (See: John 3:17).
When Jesus was born, He wasn’t just any ordinary babe. His birth was a prophecy being fulfilled. God didn’t send His only begotten Son down to earth to have a luxurious birth and a luxurious lifestyle. No, in fact, God sent His Son, Jesus, down to earth to instead live the life of a humble servant.
Jesus’ birth was a momentous time in Biblical history, it is not fictional, but a genuine event that actually happened. We don’t know for sure the date or time of His birth, but we do know He was born in a manger in a stable wrapped in swaddling clothes. This is not the birth of an ordinary king, but of the One True King! Jesus’ birth symbolizes that of the spotless lambs that are often used as animal sacrifices to cover sin that we so often see throughout the Bible. Jesus was born to be a spotless Lamb, but not just any spotless lamb, the One that is born not merely to cover sin, but to remove all sin. (See: John 1:29).
The life of Jesus in the flesh was His for 33 years on earth. He was born of a virgin named Mary conceived of the Holy Spirit and has an earthly father named Joseph. (See: Matthew 1:18-25). Jesus was a perfect child, although there was a time where He did “run away,” but it was to the temple to worship His Heavenly Father, He never sinned, not even once. God knew that His Son, Jesus, needed an earthly father and an earthly mother and Mary had God’s divine favor upon her and was chosen to be His mother. (See: Luke 1:26-35).
Jesus had many who doubted Him and many who desired to kill Him, even before He was born, and eventually they succeeded or so they thought. It was on Good Friday the crowd chose to set Barabbas free so that Jesus would be crucified. Jesus willingly obeyed His Father even unto His death, but Jesus did not stay dead. In fact, three days later He rose again, and He paved the way for us to spend eternal life with Him! How awesome is it, that the same Babe that was born a spotless Lamb in the manger was later crucified for us. Humble, spotless and sinless, He took the punishment that we deserved for our sins. He Himself descended into hell to crush the head of the enemy and set the captives free, and then He ascended on high to be seated at the Father’s side until the day He returns to take us home. And the fact of the matter is, He’s still in the business of setting free those who are caught in the captivity of sin. We must choose this day whom we will serve! (See: Joshua 24:15). Will we choose to accept this great gift of love that has been offered to us? For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (See: John 3:16). If Jesus, the Highest King of all the universe, was willing to go out of His way for us and humble Himself even to the point of death, how much more should we be willing to humble ourselves and go out of our way for those around us not just this Christmas season, but everyday of our lives? Let us all be true Biblical examples of humility and selflessness to all around us, as Christ has done for us.
Will you walk in Jesus’ ways? Will you choose to serve Jesus every single day? Are you willing to humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and go out of your way for others? Do you praise the Lord and give Him all the glory? Do you acknowledge Jesus as the King of your life?
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
Luke 2:11-14
