a thing to be grasped - Philippians 2:5-8

"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." (Philippians 2:5-8)

Attitudes just don't happen, they are chosen and formed by a conscience act of our mind and will. This Greek word means to exercise the mind or to form and maintain an opinion or mental disposition. It speaks of an active undertaking not a passive acquiesce to a thought or idea. Paul is not calling us to an attitude but calling us to action to form such an attitude within us, an attitude which was also found in the person of Jesus Christ.

So what was this attitude that Jesus had? It was that, though He was God, He didn't grasp godness. When the situation required it, He was willing to lay aside His godness to come to Earth in the form and limitations of a man. I have known rich people who, when the opportunity called for giving, grasped their riches all the more. We have all heard stories of those who have been put into authority who, when delegation was in order, grasped ever tighter onto their authority. Furthermore, there are those who, when mercy is called for, refuse to let go of their right and their self-righteousness. All these people chose grasping over emptying. We need to understand that, just because God has blessed and gifted us, that does not mean that, at times, we should lay those things aside for the benefit of other people. Consider what Paul said to the Corinthian church, "Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? ... If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ." (1 Corinthians 9:4-6, 12) Paul had certain rights as an apostle but he was often willing to forgo those rights if it meant greater blessing for those to whom he was ministering.

When Jesus came down, He did not come as God in the fullness of who God is, but came humbly, in the form of a man. It is almost impossible for us to understand how great His condescension was. It would be like us condescending to become a worm; stripping ourselves of all that it means to be human, yet this is exactly what Jesus did for us. Having become a man, He did what all men and women ought to do, He humbled Himself and became obedient. This is the attitude that all men should take, especially before God; that we should be humble and obedient before the God who created us. How many earthly problems have been created by disobedient and proud men and women? If we would learn humbleness and obedience then our lives would be blessed, our relationships would be blessed, and our work would also be blessed. This should become our goal. This should become the attitude within us. That we might imitate Jesus as He imitated what we ought to do as men and women created by God.

David Robison