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Dealing with Clinging

Dealing with Clinging

Words of Faith 8-9-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Philippians 2

[5] Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, [7] but made himself nothing,

 

We are a clingy sort we humans. We cling to things. We cling to places. We cling to people. We especially cling to authority, prestige, position, and power. Any little bit that we can get. We also desperately cling to being right even if we are wrong! It is tough for us to lay down what we have achieved so that God can give us what He wants to accomplish in us. Jesus walked it out for us, so we would know how it looks.

We often think we are "big stuff" with academic degrees or positions, our ranks, and honors. Stop for a minute and realize that Jesus was not just honored by God; He was God. Jesus did not merely have a degree in divinity. He was divine. Jesus was not just Godly, e was in very nature od. But n order to fulfill the plan of the Father, He did not consider this "God nature" something to grasp or cling to, He just... let go. He made Himself nothing.

The KJV says, "He made Himself of no reputation." We tend to scream at the slightest loss of reputation, but He became of no reputation! For all our admiration of the earthly life of Christ it was by comparison "nothing" when placed against the glory of His life with the Father. At no time has anyone given up so much with such purpose.

Paul says our attitude is to be the same. Our action cannot, of course, be the same as that of Jesus. We do not have that much to give up. The question is this: Can we have the same attitude? Can we willingly lay aside our vain sources of pride? Can we set aside the trappings that separate us from others?

Can we "take off" the facades that keep us from meeting much less loving people? Can we, at the beckoning of the Spirit, set aside our agendas and projects and positions of power to care for someone? For Jesus, it was a quantum step down into time and space to address humanity in the flesh. For us, it is not nearly such a loss but one He calls us to.

 

Lord, I don't really know how to make myself nothing. I am not sure how I can make myself of no reputation. Perhaps You can show me how to empty myself of self. Show me today how to not be full of myself that I may be full of You. Let me by emptied out so that You may fill me up. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving up everything for me. Amen.

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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