Christ's Humiliation - Our Example

As I think about Christ's example to us in his humiliation and I look at Phil 2:3-8, I find interesting the motive that Paul gives us for considering other people as more important than ourselves.

There are a lot of reasons to have this attitude, most of which are inherently selfish. It makes us feel good, gives us a good image in the world, makes people like us and on and on we could go. But wait, are we putting others ahead of ourselves then? I don't think so.

The only real motive for considering others as more important than ourselves lies in something completely different. The motive that Paul gives is this: You regard others as more important than yourselves because Christ regarded you as more important than holding on to his own Divine glory.

We truly regard others as more important than ourselves when we are doing so because of the example that Christ set for us and are truly following his example to us. That means, regarding others as more important than ourselves will likely cause us to suffer pain and humiliation.

Like Christ we should not concern ourselves with our own discomfort, sorrow, pain, or humiliation, if it is the result of working to save someone from the bondage of sin and death, which is the ultimate expression of our love for them. May God grant me the grace to follow Christ's example.