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Philippians 2:7 - God among Us.

Philippians 2:7 (NLT) Instead, he gave up 
his divine privileges; he took the humble 
position of a slave and was born as a human being.  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Companies that try to market their 
products overseas sometimes have a language barrier 
to overcome. For instance, a campaign in Italy 
for Schweppes Tonic Water translated to 
Schweppes Toilet Water. Needless to say, not a lot of 
people wanted to drink that. 
   And when the Scandinavian company 
Electrolux hoped to sell vacuum cleaners to American 
consumers, they chose the slogan Nothing sucks like 
an Electrolux. Something got lost in 
translation. 
   Jesus seemed to have this issue with His 
own disciples because they didnt understand 
why He had come to this earth in the first 
place. Jesus came to this earth to die for the sins 
of the world, but His disciples didnt get 
that because it was lost in translation. 
   Their hope and belief was that He would 
establish an earthly kingdom then and there, driving 
out the Romans who were occupying the land. In 
fact, after Jesus fed the five thousand, His most 
popular miracle to date, the people wanted to make 
Jesus king by force. 
   What was that all about? They wanted to 
make Him the king so He would drive out Rome. 
They didnt understand that isnt the reason 
He had primarily come to this world. 
   However, one day Christ will come back 
and establish His kingdom. One day, He will rule 
as King of kings and Lord of lords. But before 
Christ would wear a crown, He would first have to 
bear a cross. 
   Jesus wasnt a mere man. He wasnt 
just one of the prophets. He was God coming to us 
in human flesh, walking among us. The eternal 
God confined himself to a single cell and was 
born of a woman in order to be the Savior of the 
world. 
   Who is Jesus to you? Is He the Son of 
God? Is He the Savior of the world? [Greg Laurie 
from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINKS WITH COMMENTARY PEARL FOR FURTHER 
STUDY  

Philippians 2:7 - An Amazing Sacrifice.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191211-0927.html 

   I heard a story about a mother who was 
telling her little girl that Jesus lived in her 
heart. The little girl put her ear to her moms 
chest and said, Im listening to Jesus in 
your heart. 
   Really? the mother said. What 
are you hearing? 
   She said, I think right now Hes 
making coffee. 
   When someone becomes a Christian, Jesus 
Christ literally takes residence in his or her 
heart. Colossians 1:27 says, And this is the 
secret: Christ lives in you (NLT). Then in John 
1:12 we read, But to all who believed him and 
accepted him, he gave the right to become children of 
God (NLT). 
   So it is accurate to say that we must 
receive Christ. And it is accurate to say that 
Christ lives in our lives after we receive Him. 
   In fact, Jesus said in John 14:23, All 
who love me will do what I say. My Father will 
love them, and we will come and make our home 
with each of them (NLT). So when you become a 
Christian, Christ literally comes and makes His home 
with you. 
   I think weve romanticized the 
Christmas story, depicting Mary, Joseph, and the 
newborn Jesus with halos while the animals look on 
in reverence. Everything is bathed in blue 
light. Its a beautiful scene. But that isnt 
the way it was.  
   God sent His Son from the glory of Heaven 
to be born in the most unsanitary conditions 
imaginable. It was cold and damp - an unwelcoming place. 
But to me, that doesnt diminish the Christmas 
story. In fact, it enhances it to think of all God 
left to come to us. What an amazing sacrifice it 
was. 
   Jesus left His home in Heaven to make a 
home in our hearts. He was born so that we could 
be born again. Is Jesus at home in your heart 
today? [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

John 1:14 - God Became Flesh.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201203-1007.html 

   One thing about Christianity that keeps 
me coming back for more: God with us. Its 
even what Jesuss name means: Emmanuel. 
Who can resist a God who became human to be with 
us?  
   What a mind-blowing concept. In my World 
Literature class, we read all kinds of sacred texts. 
Some texts use descriptive words about God that 
are similar to those found in the Bible. There 
is a plethora of images of a majestic being, a 
creator, a powerful authority figure. But the 
similarities end when we get to the idea of Jesus - the 
Almighty One - who chooses to laugh and cry, feel 
pain, and get dirt under His fingernails.  
   Louisa May Alcott said, I dont want 
a religion that I put away with my Sunday 
clothes. I want something to see and feel and live 
day by day. Jesus also wanted to see and feel 
and live - to dwell - with us.  
   What did that look like? It looked like 
an unwed mother. A family who became refugees. 
A king on a donkey. It meant that those whom 
religion rejected could join the party. That no one 
was unclean. It meant women were special - 
bringing baby God into the world, being with Him at 
the cross, the first to see His resurrected 
body.  
   And now Jesus dwells in us. We are His 
body. He uses our ears to listen, our eyes to see, 
our mouths to speak. He touches and heals with 
our hands. He walks through the world on our 
feet. by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry  
   Faith Step: Today spend extra time 
abiding in Jesus. [Mornings With Jesus 2020 
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] 

Isaiah 57:15 - The God The Heavens Can't 
Contain Dwells In Every Humble Heart. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20171203-1959.html 

   It's the miracle of the Incarnation! Our 
holy God took on human flesh in the form of Jesus 
to pay the price for our sin. So perhaps it's 
no surprise to read here in Isaiah that God 
reaches down from His throne to people who are 
humble in heart. 
   The almighty God reigns supreme in the 
universe. He judges humanity with fairness and mercy. 
He is exalted and righteous above all power - 
natural as well as supernatural. He alone is worthy 
of worship. No wonder He dwells in "the high 
and holy place." 
   But the holy place - that place set apart 
for a special purpose - is not in a heavenly, 
celestial palace. That holy place where Almighty God 
chooses to dwell is in the contrite and humble heart 
of a believer. 
   Do you want almighty God, your Creator, 
to come and fellowship with you? Then humble 
yourself and develop the kind of temple in which your 
Sovereign Lord delights to inhabit. [Being Still With 
God Every Day by Henry Blackaby] 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

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