Laying Aside His Glory!

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,

if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Romans 8:16-17

 

 

Do you enjoy sharing in another person’s suffering?

Is it something you go out of your way to be a part of?

No, we usually run in the opposite direction.

“Compassion has its’ place” we say; but even while we are speaking those words we are creating distance between us and the other person’s suffering.

But the suffering that Christ endured for you and I cannot compare to anything we will face.

So often when we speak of Christ’s suffering we think of the cross and the pain He endured before and during His crucifixion.

While that is certainly true; think with me for a moment of a different suffering He endured.

Jesus humbled Himself to become a man.

The eternal creator became a man.

God ‘put on’ flesh in order to come and die in our place.

What must it have been like to be in heaven with the Father?

Jesus laid that glory aside to come and suffer for you and I.

Unimaginable!

The next time you find yourself humbled before God; remember the ultimate humility when Christ came to earth.

I know most probably wouldn’t use the term suffering and yet were we to know the glory Christ laid down for us I do not know what else we would call it.

Humbling Himself seems far too mild a term to embrace what He did.  

All to make you and I co-heirs with Him!

As the old hymn declares –

“Halleluiah, What a Savior!”