Descending to Greatness

Jesus deliberately stripped Himself of everything - His divine rights and privileges - and crossed the unthinkable chasm between God and man.

Try to imagine the span of that chasm. . . The unlimited God became limited man. . . Jesus Christ is God.

. . . From the world's viewpoint, Jesus had descended as low as man - to say nothing of God - could go.

But there was one more downward step, in heaven's eyes the deepest descent of all: from sinless to sin stained. . .Truly, He could go no lower.

. . . He knowingly and actively embraced a life of giving, serving, losing, and dying.

What was, and is, really hard for Jesus' followers to swallow is that we are called to do the same. To make ourselves nothing. . . We must believe that as painful as it sometimes feels, descending is the only way to greatness. . . Jesus obeyed for the sake of love.

And we, His followers and the recipients of His love, are called to do the same. When asked about the two greatest commands, Jesus replied: to love God and to love others. That is what motivated Jesus, and that is what is to motivate us.

-From Descending into Greatness by Bill Hybels; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado

Rejoice greatly, people of Jerusalem! Shout for joy, people of Jerusalem! Your king is coming to you. He does what is right, and he saves. He is gentle and riding on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey. -Zechariah 9:9

Accept my teaching and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. -Matthew 11:29

Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the follower's feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. - John 13:5

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor so that by his becoming poor you might become rich. -2 Corinthians 8:9

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