6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
During Advent, some think about what they will give. Some think about what they will get. Many are occupied with the battle between the two: “I should be focused on giving, but truthfully, I’m more excited about getting.” This passage takes the focus off of what you might give or get and puts the focus on what He gave.
According to v. 6-7 what did Jesus have? What did He give up? What caused Jesus to place His trust in the Father? How would you describe your level of trust in the Father?
Notice that what He gave up set Him on a course to experience years of inconvenience, pain, and suffering. To what extent do you expect your own life of following Jesus to be free of inconvenience, pain, and suffering?
How did this all turn out for Jesus (see v. 9)? How does a life following Jesus turn out for those who choose it?
