A Prayer for Heavenly Examples
By Greg Laurie
“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” -
Jesus Christ is God. He is a member of the Trinity, coequal and coeternal with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was God before He was born, and He remained God after He became man. His deity was prehuman, pre-Mary, and pre-Bethlehem.
Jesus laid aside not His deity, but the privileges of deity, to model what it is to be a servant. Paul told the believers in Philippi, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).
We are to follow His example. If Jesus could lay aside the privileges of divinity, then how much more should we, as human beings with sinful hearts, be willing to put the needs of others above ourselves?
This isn’t easy. In fact, we could say that it’s virtually impossible—apart from the power of the Spirit. This is not so much about imitation as much as it is about impartation—Christ Himself living in us and giving us His love and power. It’s the only way we can put the needs of another person above our own, love people whom we really don’t like all that much, or effectively die to ourselves. It seems impossible. But this is the way God has called us to live.
Heavenly Lord, you set aside your glory to walk among us as a human. Help us to lay down our petty idols and walk with you through this life until your Kingdom comes. Help us to follow the example you have laid out for us in the scripture. May we love our neighbors, walk in humility, and always speak with gentleness. Help us follow the example Christ gives us, keeping his perspective before us. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
This devotional is an abridged version of Our Example to Follow by Greg Laurie. To read the full devotional, follow this link.
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