12 Days of Anticipation: Day 7 No Entitlement for a King

Day 7- No Entitlement for a King

Jesus could have been born into any circumstances that God chose. Being the Son of God, Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Everlasting Savior. A setting fitting for who he is does not even exist on earth, but Jesus

Philippians 2:5-8 explains it this way, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Jesus was a true picture of humility rather than entitlement- he took on human form, left His home in heaven to be born on earth, he grew up in a poor family, he worked as a carpenter, he did not collect possessions, he accepted abuse from his enemies and loved those who persecuted him, allowed himself to be killed a humiliating and painful death, all so that he could offer us new life- a selfless act. He did not hold out a list of 'rights' as God's Son, but truly experienced the struggles of human life. Why do we think we deserve to be immune from them?

We are sometimes tricked into thinking that life with Christ should be easier- that we will be blessed all the time or that we deserve what God has given us in our lives. The truth is that God tells us that in this life we will have trouble, that we will be persecuted for His name, and that everyday we must take up our cross to follow Him. Jesus did not claim any entitlement or take the easier road as the Son of God. Why do we think we should deserve better than God's own Son?

Have you ever asked God why you were given a certain set of circumstances or challenges?
Have you blamed Him for the situation or family that you were born into?
In what ways has God used those circumstance to shape you into the person that He can use to help others?

Jesus could have spent His time wondering why the challenges placed before Him were necessary, but instead He chose to use those circumstances to reach out to those around him. How could He truly say He loves us and connect with us in a way that we would trust in Him without meeting us on our level? Not only was he born into humble circumstances, it was a leap to choose to be born as a human at all...

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