December 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Philippians 2:5–11

Devotional

Christ came down to earth in His humiliation. But He will come the second time in His exaltation. It will be terrible, for when He returns, His love will break out in anger. He will return, but in majesty, rather than in humility. The question for you and me is: Who will see God and live?

The answer is found in the incarnation of Christ. God became man, because man wanted to be as God. In His love for sinners He came down in humility to dwell on earth. He loved sinners so deeply that He wanted to be born for them. He asked for their life and He asked for their death. He asked for their judgment and He asked for hell in their place in order to save sinners. Can you resist His love any longer? Do you still dare to ignore this unspeakable Gift of God? This Gift constitutes hope for poor people who lie under God’s condemnation. He became poor in order to make them rich. We see a poor Christ who is at the same time a rich Christ. We see riches in His poverty.

Christ became equal to His people in all things except sin. He became as one of us. He dwelt amongst us and we beheld His glory. If He would have come into this world as a man like Adam, in a state of righteousness in Paradise, then we could have beheld Him from a distance, but we could never have come close to Him. But He came right in the middle of our misery, right in the midst of our sins. He humbled Himself right down to the bottom of our lost condition. We can never meditate too much on that.

You must be humbled with Christ. You have to come off your pedestal and humble yourself in the dust before Him, for those who are humbled with Him will also be exalted. Then the One who made Himself of no reputation will become for the sinner One of great reputation. He has the highest reputation; Christ becomes everything to him.

Christ became poor indeed. But how can a poor one make poor ones rich? Yet, that is exactly what happens. Christ, in His poverty, dispenses spiritual treasures. His hands are full of jewels of righteousness and holiness. He laid aside the garments of His divine glory but He gained the garments of divine righteousness.

When you see Him as the Servant of servants you will also at the same time see Him as the King of kings. In His humiliation He displays His beauty. In the world nobody will see this, but God’s children find all things in Him; His riches will fill them. Christ, the Savior, was born in a lowly manger, but He is also the One who is exalted. He descended but He also ascended. He takes His people along to be with Him forever. He makes them eternally rich in the everlasting glory that He had before the world was.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.