Bible Studies

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The Letters (Passion)
Philippians 2:5-11 - On Bended Knee
Key Verses: (NCV)

• 5: "In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus." – Paul is warning the Philippians against focusing on their own self interests…instead, be like Christ, he says, and look to the interests of others.
  
  
• 7: "But He gave up His place with God and made Himself nothing." – Jesus willingly gave up His heavenly status in order that He could experience the lives that we, as humans, experience.
  
  
• 8: "And when He was living as a man, He humbled Himself and was obedient to God, even when that caused His death – death on a cross." – All of these things He did for us…not for any self-fulfilling purpose.
  
  
• 9: "So God raised Him to the highest place. God made His name greater than every other name." – In response to Jesus' humble and selfless nature and because He epitomizes the life of servanthood that God is calling us to lead, God has lifted Him higher and greater than anyone.
  
  
• 10-11: "So that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus… ¹¹And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father." – These words of this early Christian hymn continue to have purpose and meaning in our lives today.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Do you think and act like Jesus? As you live your life do you regularly ask yourself: What Would Jesus Do? Or do you feel that this phrase has grown trite and over used? Is it a fad that has lost its zest? Do you think Paul would agree? As a Christian you are to become Christ-like but if you are not following the model of Jesus' life what other way is there to reach your goal? Does the real problem have to do with the answer to the WWJD question? He willingly gave up His life for you. Is that going too far? Will you deny yourself and serve others in order to follow the path that He has set before you?
  
  
• Are you waiting to be served? Are there tasks in ministry that are beneath your dignity? Are there things to do that you would never consider doing? Paul is pointing out that Jesus serves as a model for us, demonstrating that glory comes by humbling ourselves and leading a servanthood life. Do you seek recognition from others for your Christian works? Do you become disheartened when no one seems to notice? Do you recognize that God will provide you with all the glory you need?
  
  
• Are you humble before God? What does the phrase "every knee shall bow, every tongue confess" mean to you? Do you take your worship of God seriously? Do you praise Him in such a way that you are reminded of all the wonders He has provided? Do you think of what Jesus sacrificed for you while you sing hymns of thanksgiving? Or do you tend to look to a worship service as an entertainment event? Perhaps you allow your busy life to dominate your thoughts during worship instead of focusing on God and praising Him for all your worth. When that happens, Paul says to bow down on your knees and confess to God.
  

Promises of the Gospel:

Jesus humbled himself in order that we could find a pathway to salvation. His life and His death are models for us to follow. When we lead lives of humble servanthood, obediently follow God's plan and direction, and when we bow before Him we become the disciples we are called to be. When that happens we are building God's Kingdom here on earth and, as a result, God will lift us and exalt us in the name of Jesus Christ.

FUMC Devotionals
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BLOG: Reflections from the Heart

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