[Jesus]made Himself of no reputation,taking the form of a bondservant.-Philippians2:7(Our Daily Bread)
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Philippians 2:5-8
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Worth The Risk
What would one give in exchange for a new iPad? One 17-year-old boy
gave a kidney! Apparently, he couldn’t afford an iPad and wanted one so
badly that he was willing to risk surgery.
Stephen, in Acts 7, took a serious risk, but it was for proclaiming
the good news about Jesus. While performing miracles, he was seized,
falsely accused of blasphemy against God and the Mosaic law, and brought
before the high priest (6:8-14). In response to a question from the
high priest (7:1), Stephen took a risk and preached a sermon he knew his
hearers would not like. He said that throughout Israel’s history, the
nation had repeatedly rejected God’s messengers. And now, they had
rejected the Messiah.
Stephen’s sermon provoked a strong reaction. “They cried out with a
loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they
cast him out of the city and stoned him” (vv.57-58). Why would Stephen
risk his life to preach about Jesus? He desperately wanted his hearers
to know that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they no longer
needed to live under the law but could live under grace and forgiveness
(6:13-15; Eph. 2:8-9). Jesus died so that we may have eternal life.
Lord, You have done so much for us. You give us
our very breath and blessing upon blessing.
We give ourselves back to You to use
to spread the glorious gospel of Christ. Amen.
A Christian’s life is a window
through which others can see Jesus.
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