DAY ELEVEN: Friday
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:5-8 ESV)
My beloved,
My greatest hope for you is that you will have empty hands.
Not full hands. Not hands filled to overflowing. But empty hands. Hands with not a thing in them.
This is how I live my life. Though I possess full deity and all the accompanying rights and privileges, I did not selfishly grasp that position and use it for my own purposes.
Instead, I emptied myself. I emptied my hands. I let go of every right and privilege that was mine. I let go of comfort and convenience. I let go of my entire life.
And this freed me to truly become a servant. One who was able to do whatever was needed whenever it was needed for whomever had need. No matter how messy. No matter how costly.
In the end, the only things I grasped were two nails.
My greatest wish is that you’d also learn to live this empty-handed life. I’d love to see mayors, city councils, committees and boards with emptier hands. Less power-grabbing. More life-giving. I long to see preachers, pastors, rabbis, imans and other faith leaders with emptier hands. Less about getting followers or finances. More about granting blessings and benevolence. I’m asking that leaders of the various racial or ethnic groups have emptier hands. Less about what each group deserves or demands. More about what each group can present and provide.
Try to live this day with just one question in mind: “How can I empty my hands today?”
Grace and peace,
Jesus
