There are a lot of great passages that speak of our Savior’s miraculous birth and the joy and light that he brings. For example, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Or,

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Or these from the Gospel of Luke:

 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth” (Luke 1:14)

These verses are great, however, I rarely hear people talk about Philippians 2 at this time of year. Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, “Adopt the same attitude of that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the form of humanity . . .” (Philippians 2:5-7).

Those who have been Christians for a while can become so familiar with the Christmas story that it no longer shocks them. Yet these verses should shock us.

Word Became Flesh

Jesus is God and he became a baby.

The immortal became mortal.

The all-knowing became totally ignorant.

The all-powerful became completely dependent.

The omnipresent occupied a single time and space.

The unchanging God had to grow up and undergo puberty.

The Word of God didn’t know how to talk.

The creator of the universe made tables and chairs.

Death

Not only did Jesus come to earth, he also suffered and died. Paul continues, “And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death- even to death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).

The King of Kings became obedient.

The source of love was hated.

The source of joy was grieved.

The source of peace faced conflict.

The Beloved Son was rejected by the Father and his people.

Eternal life was killed.

Glorification

The great news of Jesus is that death could not defeat him. Because he was obedient to the Father in all things, “God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow . . . and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). This is the way of Jesus.

A crown of thorns comes before the crown of heaven.

Suffering comes before glory.

Humility comes before exaltation.

Those who lose their lives gain it.

Jesus gave everything for the love of God and mankind. What would your life be like if you had that same mindset? What if you thought more about what you can give before what you could get? How would that impact your work? Your finances? How you spend your free time? Your relationships?

How can your mindset become 1% more Christ-like? What is one step you can take today?