Daily Devotional
November 12
Twilight: From God to Slave
by the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven
Monthly Theme:
Philippians is Paul's love letter. The epistle is also a good
instrument for learning the secret of this great man. Paul considered
living Christ and dying gain. And, although he wrote from a prison cell,
his refrain was "Rejoice in the Lord always."
Philippians 2:5–11
Bible Text:
Though he was in the form of God ... he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave (Phil. 2:6–7, NRSV).
Devotional:
Our first parents disobeyed God and believed the devil when he told
them that they would be equal to the Almighty One. Our Savior's behavior
was exactly the opposite of Adam's and Eve's. The Son of God was equal
with God. But he did not cling to his privileged position. He "emptied
himself" or "made himself nothing." He laid off his royal robe. He was
among us "in the form" or "in the very nature" of a slave, a servant.
He saved us, and he showed us the way to live. The attitude of Christ
is the "mind" we must have. Unless we humble ourselves, we destroy
ourselves and each other.
Christ's humility is the first great characteristic that we must
imitate. He took on the lowest position in humanity, "the form of a
slave." He washed our feet. He helped and healed us. Now it is our joy
to help others. We aren't here, as the world says, to look out for
numero uno. Rather Christ has reversed the natural direction of our
ambition. And the church is in the world to serve others, just as Christ
did.
The second characteristic we must adopt as our own is Christ's
obedience: "He became obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross." Jesus did not want to die. "If possible, Father, let it pass,"
he prayed in Gethsemane. But he gave up his will to do his Father's
will.
Our humility and obedience prove that we know Jesus.
Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.
A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar),
a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to
God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this
edition of Twilight are from the New International Version
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