My Precious Savior, in the same way that You were willing to give up Your rights in order to obey Your Father and serve His people, I should also have this kind of servant’s heart. My service should be based on my love for You and a desire to share it with others … not out of fear or guilt. I must remember that I can choose to approach life expecting to be served or looking for opportunities to serve. What makes me appreciate the depth of Your sacrifice is the fact that You chose to leave Your esteemed position in Heaven as God to voluntarily assume a human body and human nature. You did not give up Your deity to live among men nor did You give up Your humanity when You ascended into Heaven. You identified with your creation in a way that made You willing to give up all so that I could have a way to inherit it. Help me follow in Your footsteps … willing… to lay down my life in order to serve another.
I sometimes find myself covering up my selfish ways by claiming I deserve it or I’ve earned it or I have a right to it or it’s owed to me. But as a believer, my attitude should be different … one that allows me to lay aside my rights in order to put the rights of others before mine. If I am going to profess to be a follower of Yours, I must strive to live the way You did. In a spirit of humility, You placed others needs above Yours and I must emulate You. A desire to receive the praise of men should be the last thing I am seeking. I must give out of my heart full of a desire to please You and take up the burdens of others. I must start giving up my rights in order to stand up for the rights of others. When I reflect on how deep Your love for me goes, I begin to understand Your demand for me to get beyond myself. Because You sacrificed so much, I must ask myself “how far am I willing to go for others?”
At the final judgement, all will bow down and give You praise because of Your authority and position above all men. I rejoice in the fact that I’ve been allowed to make my choice to submit to You while I’m still alive. As an act of my will, I’ve chosen to link my life with Yours forever. Therefore, my mission has become “working out my salvation.” In so-doing, I forego the need to be redeemed over and over again and, instead, begin walking in Your ways, doing good and giving of myself unselfishly. I cannot allow myself to become sidetracked by worldly distractions and the deceptions of my enemy. I now get my guidance from Your Word and the Holy Spirit. A key element in allowing myself to be changed into Your image is to let You have complete control over my life and allow You to work through me. As I do so, I will be able to start “working out my salvation” while enriching my life. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.