Scripture: Philippians 2:5-8
Journal: What are you full of these days?
How do you need to empty yourself, in order to be filled with God? What are the things you need to give to God
today? Release them, one by one, into
his hands right now.
Reflection:
Jesus emptied himself, and calls on us
to do the same. The King of Kings stepped
down out of the throne room of heaven and came to earth, becoming a mere man. The Lord of Lords set aside divine
privilege and took on the form of the lowliest servant. The Immortal God took off his
immortality and took on flesh and blood.
The Eternal One stepped into the limits of time and space and became a helpless
baby. It is an emptying that none
of us can fully understand or appreciate, but one we are called to
emulate.
But we must understand that
this emptying is not merely for empty’s sake; it is an emptying that is intended
to make room for a filling. Jesus
emptied himself of self—if it is even possible to say that—in order that God
could exalt him to the highest place and give him the name that is above every
name.
In the spiritual life,
emptying is always meant to make room for a filling. We empty ourselves of self, not just so we
will be empty, but in order that we might be filled with the life and love of
God. Fullness is God’s ultimate desire
for us—as it was for Jesus—but fullness can only be arrived at by way of
empty.
So by all means let us have
the same attitude that was also in Christ Jesus, and let us empty
ourselves in order that we may be full of God. So full, in fact, that we overflow—with his
life and love—into the lives of all who cross our paths. That’s what the kingdom is all about.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Lord Jesus, in order to be full of you, I must
be empty of self, and I can accomplish neither on my own. Have mercy on me. Give me the strength and the grace and the
courage to empty myself that I might be full of you. Amen.
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