Living a Life Emptied

 

I wonder what thoughts came into your mind as you read the title?  I wonder what living means to you?

For me, in my humanity, I want to have so I can give.  I want to attain so I can help. I want to be important and have something worth giving. We humans think to live we need to be full and to give, we need to have.

And in reality, that is oh, so true, for we cannot give what we do not have.  But the key is, what are we full of and what do we have?

Philippians 2:1-8 (NASB) has a message for us and because it is so connected I'm simply going to type all the verses.  

1)If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 

2)make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

3)Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

4)do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5)Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6)who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7)but EMPTIED Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8)And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

This is a paradox, a bit radical, to live is to empty ourselves.  We find life after being emptied.

Jesus is our greatest example.  Verse 6 impacts me, He did not regard His royalty, His equality with God, a thing to be grasped.

Oh, how many times do I grasp something, I hang on, thinking I need this... to ....! (fill in the blank)

Jesus left it go, He laid it down.  He emptied Himself. Why??

He let it go for life.

He let it go, laying it down, so He could die to give us life, here and eternally.

He let it go for something greater, to make His love tangible.

Now let me clarify, He did not lose His royalty. He did not deny heaven.  He chose to lay it down, and yes, leaving heaven, to take on the form of man for a greater purpose, life!

This, my friends, brings me to my knees, causing me to bow before my Father in awe and reverence of who He is.

This one life we have to live can get quite complicated at times as we navigate living.  Satan wants nothing more than to destroy God and the life He wants to offer us. Satan will use anything, even good  to destroy God's breath of life within us and among us.

In the first verses, Apostle Paul was calling the Philippians to be united and intent on one purpose and he explains the mindset of Jesus.

Relationships get quite messy and broken a lot of the time.  Our own brokenness and distortion colours our view of what matters. 

And one of the ways to navigate living, is to start with verse five, having the attitude of Jesus.

1 - We cannot grasp on to something, even that which may be good and perfect, like royalty.

2 - We need to empty ourselves for that which matters more and most.

Jesus came to give.  Jesus emptied and was filled. 

We give what we have or are filled with.

What are you filled with?  What am I filled with? 

I'm either filled with what matters to me or more of God.

We cannot receive or be filled with God unless we first empty our hearts and hands of control, of lies and wrong beliefs, pride, bitterness, hatred, slander, etc. 

We need to let go to be able to receive what really matters.

We need to let go of revenge to find the grace of God is for me and my offender.

We need to let go so we can find God in all places.

Sometimes we may even need to let go of something that is good.

We let go of the striving, realizing that our jobs, getting it right, etc is not what defines us. Our worth comes not from getting it right, but we are defined because God pronounced His creation of us, good.

This is the season of autumn as I write this.  The leaves that were green are turning colours, the process of dying.  The leaves are good, the fruit once hung on trees is now gone. The season of summer is good.

As the trees let go of their leaves they are left bare and that is who the tree is.  Without taking care of itself, emptying itself of what is hanging on, the sap would run dry and eventually there would be nothing left to give.

The moments or times of letting go is hard, but oh, so freeing. It is a way of life and not a once and done thing. Seasons happen again and again. It's a continual leaning into Jesus, abiding in Him to find our life.  It's a remembering that life is not about us, but about God, Himself.

When we empty ourselves of ourselves and find Jesus, we find the truest form of life there is.  We find His abundant life that He so much wants to give us.  

And as we are daily filled with the truest Life we have something to give to those around us.

Humility is a fragile dance, for about the time we think we are, we make it about ourselves or am I the only one who finds myself in this dance??

It requires a daily, and sometimes moment by moment, remembering.  A remembering who I am and who God is.  It's a shift of focus towards God and remembering this is about Him and not me.  He can untangle threads and orchestrate details in ways I never could.

Humility requires me to trust God fully, again and again.  He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, not me! Humility is a by product of our awareness of who God is and who I am in His presence. Humility is the by product of allowing that to impact me.

Let This Mind Be in You

 

A few verses in Philippans chapter 2 often come to my mind.

The first eight verses have given me pause and pondering moments as I think of one phrase in particular... Let this mind (or attitude) be in you which was in Christ Jesus. 

Paul is writing and encouraging the people in the Philippian church to think of others, with humility.

Humility feels a bit elusive. I wonder if it's a little like happiness... the more you pursue it the further it gets away from you?

Is it something we pursue or is it a by product of something deeper??

Verse 5 is the verse that so often pops into my mind, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." (NAS)  The following several verses continue to expound a bit about the attitude Jesus had.

v. 6 - Though Jesus existed in the form of God, He did not regard His equality with God a thing to be grasped.

v.7 - He emptied Himself (laying aside His privileges), taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of man. 

Whew, man who chose to not listen?!  Man, whom He created, chose to take matters in their own hands?! He lays aside living in heaven and becomes a man, one of us! 

v.8 - He humbled Himself by becoming obedient.

And becoming one of us, was to give His life so we could see our way back to God. It cost Him His very breath!

What does humbling ourselves look like?  Is it beating ourselves down?

Sometimes it's helpful to look at the opposite and a proud person is a bit easier to define and one we all resist. 

A proud person is full of themselves, thinking they have got the answer. Pride puffs up and lifting one's self to be something. A person who grasps for something is not a restful or pleasant person to be with, for they often step on someone to reach for what they want.

So what is emptying ourselves look like? Do we badger ourselves and put ourselves in the dirt, lowering ourselves? Is this humility?? This is the opposite extreme of lifting up one's self and grasping for something. 

No, I don't think that's the answer either.  Both of these responses are focused on me, myself.  Neither one is a proper view of how and why God made us. God made all things good and as man we are to glorify Him, pleasing Him with our faith. 

Jesus chose to become man because His love is so deep for us that He was willing to give us and show us the way to His Father. 

All the great men and women in Scripture who made a positive impact kept and kept coming back to Jesus and they were ones who knew who they were in Christ and knew that each person they met was also valued by God.

Humility comes, not by doing something correctly, but adjusting our view of God and one's self and others. It's grasping a little bit more of the bigness of God instead of grasping for what?? More of what I think and or even have experienced?? I don't know, except I do know we humans are pretty quickly drawn to power.  And just like, wanting to be like God, was Lucifer's downfall; so we have the bent to be our own god.

It's a remembering that God is the kingpin, He has got it and not me!

We keep coming back to Jesus and the Father, realigning our focus on Who holds the answer. 

Humility flows as a result or an awareness, not a doing.  It's being with God and letting Him take care of any situation. 

Now, I'm not saying we sit back and do nothing.  No, I believe a proper awareness of who God is and who I am, will inspire me to be involved.  After all, we are His hands and feet. 

But I believe it will affect HOW we get involved and it will affect our response when our involvement and even our beliefs are met with resistance.

Saul was convinced that he was doing the right thing by spending much effort and time persecuting and killing Christians. He went in hot pursuit of them. 

Destruction. Fear. Rampage. 

When he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, that energy took a shift. He became a man of passion but you never see him demanding others to believe. 

Power. Boldness. But never demanding.

Saul was utterly convinced he was right in his persecution. 

He experienced a dramatic and obvious shift that not many of us experience to that degree.

He became just as convinced and passionate for Jesus as he had been against Him. There were many other men who were passionate and yet they didn't demand others to follow.

Jesus Himself, is the Way, Truth, and Life and even He, doesn't demand us to believe His words.

I see a thread... passion, boldness, power, strength; but never demanding or pushing. 

Pride demands, humility invites.

Pride pushes away, humility draws in. 

Pride says it's up to me, I've got to... humility says it's God, come and let's do this together. 

Time spent with Jesus will affect our everyday living. 

I don't know what you're thinking by now and I'm not even sure if I'm saying it correctly, but one thing I have sensed the Holy Spirit whispering in my heart, is, you aren't truth, Jesus is. 

And if Jesus allows choice, when He is Life and is the Way, and is Truth; then why do I get bent out of shape when someone isn't listening to me?

Humility. Emptying. Letting go because of God.

When we remember that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life, and not me, it brings a perspective that I have found vital as I walk in community and with a passion for truth. It shifts HOW I bring and present my beliefs, actions, concerns, etc.

*I can rest knowing that God has got it. He has promised to complete a good work and yes, that means He will as we look to Him. God won't let us be deceived if we truly want to know Him. 

*It's not up to me to make someone believe what I think is true. Yes, I said, I think, because the reality is I may have God's truth skewed a bit, no matter how much I believe God revealed this _______ to me. The lens through which I am understanding just may be cloudy. And I can hold what I believe to be true, with gentleness.

*When I remember and grasp a bit more, how much God loves me; then I understand it's the same for any other person and I can see beyond the difference, the pain, the hurt, a little bit more and find Jesus. 

One who sees Jesus, will see others as valuable and royal. When we remember that it is not we who hold the answers, it's Jesus, we can hold even the Truth that set us free with more grace and gentleness. Compassion. 

When we grasp a little bit more God's deep, simple, unconditional love for ourselves, then, that must spill over into our physical relationships, to all men. 

God, man. One is connected to the other. Loving God means, our convictions and beliefs should never be something that steps on another person, even if we are called on a different path. Jesus never used His Truth as a weapon or threat. He simply lived it and allowed people to choose.

The mind of Jesus is learned as we learn of Him, staying with Him who holds all things in His hand, and seeing how He emptied Himself for us. He is the One who holds the answers. The One who embodies truth. The One who IS the answer, the Way back to God. If He can empty Himself and doesn't demand us to know, believe, and follow Him, why should I think I can get the job done for others to believe Him??

Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus and walk in gentle boldness for Him. 

Go in the confidence of His love for you and smile to the world around you. God holds us all.