Emptied Himself

Normally, humans prefer "full" over "empty." Maybe you are different than me, but I much prefer a full gas tank over an empty one, a full refrigerator over a bare one, and a bookshelf full of books rather than none.

But sometimes, full is NOT better than empty. For instance, God does not want you to be "full of yourself." Rather, He wants you to "empty yourself." If you need an example of what that looks like, you need to look no further than Jesus.

The Empty Jesus

In Philippians 2:3-11, our key passage for this One Thought series, verse 7 tells us that Jesus, despite being God, "emptied himself." This does not mean He ceased to be God while on earth, but that He did not use His rights and power as God to give Him an advantage through life.

This "emptying" of Himself of His rights as God is what powered His humility. As we saw in week 1 and week 2 of this series, humility puts others first, which requires you to "empty" yourself of your own goals and desires so your focus can be on others and how God wants to use you to help them. So the cross is evidence of Him "emptying" Himself for our sake.

But this is hard! Not only does "emptying" go against our natural desires, but it goes against the "preaching" of our current culture. How do you "empty" yourself? Do you ignore your own needs? Do you become a doormat that everyone walks upon? Do you tell yourself every day that you are worthless?

No.

You matter deeply to God. In fact, you are worth the blood of Jesus, which means you have immense value! So don't mistreat a person (including yourself) for whom Jesus died.

At the same time, you can't think too highly of yourself because of your worth. You have done nothing to earn the love of God. So while the gospel reminds us of our immense value, it also helps us not be too full of ourselves.

So back to the question at hand. How do you empty yourself? To live with such impressive humility requires a deep faith in God. By "emptying" yourself of your own desires and wishes so you can focus on others requires a trust that God can and will meet your needs. That is where a gospel-centered approach helps. Because, as you look to the cross, you see the love of God, and as you view the empty tomb of Christ, you see the power of God. And when you realize the crucifixion and resurrection were for you and your sin, you can fully trust God to care for you as He uses you to humbly care for others.

So empty yourself by giving Him your full self, that He might work through you for the good of others, which will bring you immense joy!