Emptied

Tony, at Don't Call Me Veronica, got me thinking this morning. He asked about one word to focus attention on Christmas.

One of my favorite Christmas words is ‘Emptied’. I know it doesn’t look as good on a card or up in lights as ‘Joy’ or ‘Peace’, but it’s still one of my favorites. Here’s why: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

Those are Paul’s words in Philippians 2:5-7. A description of the selfless attitude that brought us the child we celebrate at Christmas. But more than a description of Jesus’ attitude, it is a prescription for our own.

What if we fully possessed that attitude in our lives? What if we were willing to lay aside all privileges we may have claim to in order to serve someone else? What if we completely emptied our lives of our selves and our ambitions and humbly obeyed in the work of God?

When Jesus emptied Himself to become a baby boy, He paved the road toward a tomb that He would also empty. I wonder what lies ahead for us as we empty our lives in order to follow Him…