Worth It

The closer I get to Jesus, the more I want to agree with Him. He is so worth it. The love, and wisdom, and mercy that He is the fullness of is undeniable the more I consider who He is and how He represented himself to humanity. He is the opposite of a top down religious system, He became the least to demonstrate the humility of God. He said "if you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are each the fullness of humility. I could tether my mind to this idea for 1,000 years and still not grasp the enormity of it. We worship a God who not only places high value on humility, but is the fullness of that very thing.


Philippians 2:1-11 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.


Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.


Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


The more Paul got to know Jesus, the more he hungered for unity in the Body. The Church was relatively small when Paul wrote these words. Already, division had crept in. This is the plan of the enemy: to sow tares of division where the wheat is growing well. Paul said humility is the key to unity. Considering others better than yourself...celebrating others....encouraging others...feeding others before yourself, like Jesus.


Now the full story is that although Jesus gave to others all day long, He knew how to get filled up by another in the right way. Even though He is God and was with God, He didn't come to earth to be recognized by people. He came to pay for us. He was openly resisted by almost everyone who claimed to be in charge of knowing God. He spoke truth in love. He healed sinners and lepers and Roman army guys. He poured himself out, BUT he also filled himself up:


Matthew 14:23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.


Jesus modeled for us how to get filled up, in order to pour out in humility, which naturally produces unity. Jesus was filled by God's recognition of His work. Jesus made the Father his source and his reward. He went off by Himself to let the Father direct Him and define Him. He didn't give to any person what belonged only to the Father: the right to tell Jesus who He was. This is what filled Jesus in the secret places. This is why He made such a point to go off by himself, that the gospel writers were sure to tell us about it.


This is how the Father felt about Jesus while He was working in agreement with the Father:


Matthew 3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”


The Father is recorded as saying this about Jesus out loud, for people to hear, at least two different times, but Jesus heard God saying this to Him all the time:


John 8:28-30 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.


Jesus' confidence in His identity as assured by the Father actually produced faith in others. Jesus came fully as a man. Although He is God, He set that aside and lived in a way that required relying on hearing God through prayer, just like you and I are supposed to. He modeled the right way to be a person dynamically connected to God, fully accomplishing all He was sent to do. He walked perfectly in the Father's plan for Him.


God has huge plans for me. God is calling His people into real accomplishment, facing real resistance, and it really matters. For me to accomplish my life plan well REQUIRES encouragement and recognition. This is unquestionable. The question is: who should really be the main source...the steady diet...of encouragement and recognition that I feed on and get my identity from? Obviously, Jesus showed the world God is the best source of identity. God made me, so only He has the information to truly define me. If I will let Him, God will recognize and encourage me in a way that will propel me to new heights. People simply cannot do that for me. It is harmful for me to give to anyone else the right that only belongs to God.


The problem is, we humans tend to take the most tangible path to what we need. We want other people to define and encourage us, because the honest truth is that it seems more valuable than a still small voice that no one else hears. We need to see the real power behind the inner voice. We need more revelation of who God is.


If the most important person in the room notices us, we FEEL the most valuable. Mankind was actually wired this way, to be encouraged by the one who is most powerful. God was the most important person in the room for Adam and Eve. They looked upon Him and KNEW there was no one like Him! Sin took away mankind's physical interaction with God, but He is STILL the most important person in the room. Jesus KNEW that and lived in that reality. We need to KNOW it, too.


Satan wants us to feed on lesser sources, because it causes us to rely on what He can manipulate. Satan can't touch God's definition of me, but he can manipulate my identity if it is based on this world's perception of me.


John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.


There is a promised generation, the generation of the pure and spotless Bride, that will overcome satan's attempts to lie and steal from her. This is the generation in which Jesus will fulfill one of His last prayers before He returns:


John 17:21-23 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.


Right now, Jesus wants this prayer to be realized. He has wanted this at least since the upper room. I believe we are the generation that will finally agree with Him and see Him get what He wants. I want to see Jesus get everything He desires. He is worth it!


God refuses to violate free will, because He has committed to love. If I want to agree with Jesus about unity, then it REQUIRES I live in agreement with Jesus about humility. Humility is only possible when I make God's recognition the only one that really matters.

Father, make us one as you are one. Then the world will KNOW Jesus is Your Son!