THE VIEW THAT CHRIST DESERVES
Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.
Ephesians 1:21-22 (NLT)
Imagine the corner office with the best view of the city. The penthouse at the top of the skyscraper. The throne at the apex of the stairs. We equate power with height. The higher up the ladder you are, the better the view, the closer you are to the heavens themselves. In humanity's brokenness, the ego can swell when looking from this view because of all that is beneath you.
In the last temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, Satan took Jesus to the top of a mountain, showed Him the kingdoms of the earth, and offered them in exchange for worship. Jesus, however, didn't falter in His mission to follow God's will to reclaim what was already His.
We could spend every day meditating on God's humility and still never scratch the surface of what He's done for us through Jesus. The Bible shows us a God who's constantly revealing Himself to reach the people He created. God created the world and gave it to us, then humbled Himself as a man to reclaim it for His glory and for our redemption. Jesus traded His heavenly view for an earthly one, then returned triumphantly to his throne.
Jesus proved the sincerity of His love for us through His life, death and resurrection. God could have claimed what was already His, however He wanted, but He chose to do it this way so He could identify with us. What a God!
APPLICATION: Meditate on God's humility for a few minutes. Think through your achievements and what you've earned over the years. What would it feel like to trade all that in, to start over, to show someone else how much you love them? God did that on a scale we'll never truly grasp, so give Him all the glory!
PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for proving Your love for me. Thank You for achieving victory over all creation and the world to come on the cross. You deserve your throne! Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don’t let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?