The Humble Coming
I was invited over to a friend’s house a few days ago. She designed it and built it with her own hands. She was beaming from ear to ear as she took me inside. As I entered, I had to put the pungent smell of smoke from a smoldering fire out of my mind. With no windows and lights, it was not only stuffy inside, but difficult to see where I was walking.
The simple little flash of the camera revealed the “kitchen” and a small storage area. The raised floor of the bedroom offered a small “bench” to sit on. There’s no running water, no sink, no bathroom. When I turned the camera around and showed her the pictures, it was the first time she’d ever seen the inside of her home in such detail.
Nanyu, lives very humbly. The home she built with sticks, animal dung and mud, is her masterpiece. She did her best to build it for her husband and 4 children. Her mother taught her the Maasai ways and lives next door with her father and 7 siblings.
(Nanyu’s Mother is to the left and Nanyu is on the right holding her youngest of 4 children. The other children are some of her 7 siblings.)
Her life is very different than mine. Our languages and cultures are completely different. My life is easy compared to hers. And yet, when it comes to the most important issue of life, we are in the same condition. We both have need for a Savior.
During Advent we celebrate that God came down to earth and became one of us. He became a man. John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…” Oh my, how much He had to stoop, condescend to come to dwell among us smelly, sinful beings!
“The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens,
Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.”
Psalm 113:4-8
He has to humble Himself to even LOOK at our heavens and earth. But He doesn’t stop there, he interacts with us, He gets personally involved with us and cares for us. He reaches down to the poorest of the poor, the dirty, the downtrodden, and not only lifts them up but seats them next to those who are “finer folk” here on earth. In God’s eyes, we’re all the same. He has to humble Himself to deal with me just as much as He does to deal with Nanyu.
Philippians 2: 6-7 tell us that even though Jesus “was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (He didn’t cling to his rights as God), but made Himself nothing (He stooped, He condescended; thus showing the humility of God) taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Imagine that! The creator of the universe came to serve. Now look at the last part, “being born in the likeness of men”. Jesus, part of the Godhead, the Living Word, the Creator of the universe, the one who created and breathed life into each of us, humbled Himself and was conceived and born out of the womb He created, dwelt among His creation, in the same bodily form of His creation. He was then subject to His parents, the Law of Moses, and to all earthly authority. I’d be screaming, “Excuse me! Do you know who I am? Don’t tell me what to do!”
His humble coming is so much more than a sweet little baby lying in a manger bed filled with hay. When I try to wrap my feeble mind around it, I’m left sitting in wonder and awe of His extravagant love and grace towards soiled and dirty ol’ me. The Most High God stooped down to raise me up out of an ash heap and make me a child of the King. I have nothing to boost of, save the power of Christ in me.
Heavenly Father, I humbly come to You just as I am, desiring more than anything to be able to climb up into Your lap, press my ear to Your chest and hear Your heartbeat for humanity. Thank You for loving me unconditionally, for picking me up out of the ashes and calling me Your own. Father, help me to keep my eyes on You so that I may enter each day as Your humble servant. Thank You for humbling Yourself, coming to earth, and saving me. I love You.
Your humbly grateful daughter,
Marsha will be posting more about her recent trip to Kenya at http://marshahmusings.blogspot.com .
A Humble Servant… that is my desire, if I want to be more like Jesus. Great devotion. -Blessings, Laurie
Thank you so much for this post. It really spoke to me today.
A heartfelt devotion. Thank you so much for this humble reminder. Great post sis….
Love,
Michele
I enjoyed reading your post today Marsha. It is hard to grasp with our human minds the full meaning and awesomeness of Christ coming as a baby for each and every one of us.
I’m so moved and humbled, thank you
Bless you for sharing this heartfelt devotion, I love you my friend.
Hi Marsha,
Wow…. The words…. We are all in need of a Savior just hit me so hard looking at this picture. We have so much but all of us have nothing without Christ. Awesome post. Will visit your place. Hugs.