In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:1, 3-4, 14

Lately, whenever I read the first chapter of John, I picture Jesus’ beloved disciple’s face as he reminisces about what he and the other disciples experienced. The revelation of who their rabbi was hadn’t come immediately. It took time. But eventually God revealed to them who Jesus was. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”. 

Now as John was writing with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I can hear him speaking his thoughts aloud even while penning his testimony. 

“My rabbi was the very Word of God!!! He is the Word that spoke creation into being! He was absolutely glorious as He sat enthroned in heaven! Yet He stepped away from all of that in order to became flesh! We got to see  Him, touch Him, and walk with Him! We saw God as He revealed Himself to us through our Rabbi who had called us to follow Him! He created our lives. In fact, He WAS life! Then He gave us new lives! I still can’t believe that we were eye witnesses to the very glory of God!” (I wonder, as John penned the opening lines of his gospel, how many times he stopped just to remember, ponder, and worship his beloved friend and Redeemer.)

When Paul wrote about Jesus, he wrote that “though (Jesus) was in the form of God, (He) did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” Philippians 2:6. I believe he’d been given a glimpse into the magnificent “form” of God’s Son before Jesus ever was born to Mary. He saw the Lord of Glory’s beauty, authority, and majesty, and had been stunned by the amazing truth that Jesus had not chosen to hold onto His very equality with God!

That challenges me. God has blessed me with a wonderful home, church, family, friends, jobs and then retirement, leadership roles in various settings, and I’m sure the list could go on and on. How often have I wanted to tightly grasp those things when God has nudged me to set something aside for a moment to answer His call? My Father never meant for His blessings in my life to become my excuses for disobedience when He’s asked me to give of my time, share from my resources, or step away from a position in order to become His hands, feet, or voice to bring help or encouragement to others. If Jesus didn’t grasp His equality with God, surely Paul was sharing God’s heart when he exhorted us: 

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 

Jesus, You had the form of God. You were equal with Your Father! If ever there was any situation or position that could rightfully and understandably have been grasped, it was You being God’s Son! But you didn’t hold onto or even guard your position when You considered ours. You didn’t despise our lost, sinful state. In fact, it was because of our condition that You emptied Yourself of Your heavenly glory in order to save us and bring us to Your Father. 

How then can I consider any person, place, position, or anything you’ve blessed me with as something to be held on to? Holy Spirit, teach me to consider others as worthy of any sacrifice, whether big or small, that I could make. Teach me to, like You, take on the form of a servant. Had You not, I would be forever lost. You left the magnificence of Heaven to become our beloved, meek Redeemer! Truly You are my magnificent, humble Savior! Bless You!