“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, . . . made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant . . . And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8).
Several years ago our family went to Plains, Georgia to hear Jimmy Carter teach Sunday School. He taught the lesson right out of the same quarterly that we use, but with a little more hubbub. There were chartered buses in the parking lot; large groups were vying for optimal seating; and the Secret Service were ready to take on any danger in the proximity of the church.
The lady who led the large-group assembly told the story of how their church divides responsibilities and how church members signed up for cleaning and mowing. One day, while President Carter was mowing in a straw hat, a tourist stopped to take a picture of the church. She asked him to move out of the way so she could get a good shot of the President's church. He did, and she got her picture.
Why did he teach? Why did he mow? Surely someone else could have done these tasks. One of Jesus' most impressive and undersold qualities had to be His humility. Time and again we see it through His life: His birth in a stable; His choice of ordinary workmen as disciples; and His comfort level in eating with "sinners" and outcasts. He could have had a "better" life--as we usually think of the options, anyway--and definitely an easier one. He did not choose a padded and comfortable way. His life included the intentional choice of a horrible death. His gift is overwhelming, and great things came from Christ's humility.
Joy and Randy Atkins joined First Baptist Nashville in the spring of 2006. Their children are Emma (13) and Luke (8). Randy and Joy are active supporters of our student ministry, generous with their time and God-given gifts. They co-teach a sixth grade Sunday School class, lead Family Groups on Wednesday nights, and both teach a SMART group on Sunday nights—Visual FX (Joy) and Media Workshop (Randy). Together they are the owners/operators of the Chick-Fil-A in Hermitage.
The audio version of today's devotional was recorded by Kyle Cantrell.
