Posted on 03/23/2024 5:15:25 AM PDT by metmom
“. . . Emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).
Except for sin, Jesus experienced the everyday things of a normal man; but He was often not appreciated as the God-man.
Jesus could understand what people around Him were dealing with because He lived under the same conditions. He can also identify with us today. It is true that He never married, never went to college, and never used a computer or a VCR. But He still has perfect knowledge about such things, and more. The point is, Christ knows firsthand about our basic physical and emotional needs because He actually lived and worked in a world affected by the Fall.
But there was one element of our world Jesus did not partake in: sin. The conclusion of Hebrews 4:15 says He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Even though Jesus never sinned, He knows the struggles and temptations we face daily. Otherwise, He could not be the sympathetic High Priest that the first part of verse 15 mentions.
Although Jesus was a man who identified profoundly with those He came to serve, people around Him did not naturally see the most important thing about Him. Philippians 2:8 views Jesus from the perspective of those people. It says His human appearance was so authentic that most of them didn’t know that He was also God. Many of them simply could not accept that a man like Jesus could also be higher than them: “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” (John 6:42).
Christ’s close identification with mankind elicited a tragic response for people such as those in John 6. But for us, His humility is a great model and a heart-felt reassurance that He was perfectly man and perfectly God.
Suggestions for Prayer
Thank God that you can freely approach Him in prayer through Jesus, who can identify so closely with all our struggles as human beings.
For Further Study
Read John 11:1-45, which describes the death and resurrection of Lazarus. How did Jesus demonstrate His humanity and deity to the disciples and other eyewitnesses?
From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
I can’t find it now, and forgive any errors, but years ago I read about a woman who prayed for her atheist husband. One of his sticking points was “why would God send His Son to us, to save us?”
The couple owned horses in a stable out back. A storm was coming and the husband went out to secure the horses. When he returned, he was crying joyous tears.
“I get it now! I was securing the horses but they were very upset. I tried to calm them down and assure them that everything would be ok, but to no avail. I thought to myself ‘if only I could become a horse….THEN they would understand me, and I could save them.’ And then I realized WHY Jesus HAD to become human!”
I hope you are doing well with your crosses and have enough power for FR. God bless you.
I think, Jesus, please forgive me.
I have no answers for my conduct, to offer Jesus, other than please forgive me. Jesus is my judge and advocate if I have any chance.
I tell people, You may forget a lot, but try to remember that Jesus is living water. And to help me remember, I write:
Prefer God
Love truth
Be kind
Jesus is living water,
the well of Bethlehem,
by the gate,
satisfying the thirst of David,
nearby the Siloam Pool.
We say and do things we know are wrong and then later look back and wonder what the heck we were thinking.
This is one of the most comforting verses in all of Scripture, IMO.
Psalm 103:13-14 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
You know a father’s love, by his restraint.
Bless you.
You know a father’s love, by his restraint.
Bless you.
Sigh; I am seeing double, again.
One of the reasons I like watching Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ is I think it gives us an idea of what He went through for us and even then doesn’t capture the barbarity He went through on our behalf.
Thanks again.
Phil, you consider yourself to be a Christian, even a Protestant - I think, so it’s ok for you to post here.
Nope. This is a Protestant caucus and a devotional thread and debate is NOT allowed as per the RF guidelines.
It would be the mods decision as to who is allowed to post on caucus threads anyways, so taking it on yourself to invite others who *consider themselves Christian* is not your prerogative.
It matters little what someone considers themselves if their beliefs do not line up with the caucus designation.
I did a search on the following before posting to Phil
are sda ‘christian’
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