As we seek relief in our Lord Jesus Christ we must begin at His birth. Not only does the Bible tell us that He was made man like us, but that He so emptied Himself and that He was barely recognized among men. He was a lowly or humble man. There was nothing but a stable and a manger to receive Him. Therefore, we know God’s goodness since He willed that His Son should be humbled for our sakes. The Lord of Glory—Creator of all things—condescending to us.
We should notice that from the time of His birth, He was in such a place that when we seek Him we don’t need to look far to find Him. This is why He willed to be subject to every humiliation and was rejected by men. We should therefore learn to be little ourselves, in order to be received by Him. Big things impress men, while God seems to take pleasure in the small, poor and humble things. It makes sense that there should be conformity between the Head and the body. When we know what we really are, then we may offer ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ in true humility and then He will recognize us and acknowledge us as His own.
―Pastor Randy Booth, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Nacogdoches, TX
The Word Became Flesh
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” ―John 1:14-18
Prayer
Give us true humility before You and before men, O God. Our inclination is to be proud, self-seeking, and promoting our own image and reputation. Give us insight into our own sinful hearts, and enable us to see how dependent we are upon Your grace. If we are proud, even secretly, or subtly proud, You will oppose us. Enable us to bow humbly before You in the attitude of our hearts. This alone will give us true humility toward our fellow men. May we all humble ourselves before You. AMEN
Advent Action
Secretly (before God) perform a household task that no one likes to do (e.g., clean a toilet, scrub the shower, rake the leaves, etc.).
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