Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV)
What does the self-emptying of Christ mean? The theological doctrine is called the kenosis, from the Greek verb meaning “to empty.” Did He empty Himself of His deity and become merely a man? No, He voluntarily emptied Himself of the expression of deity, not the possession of deity.
As a result of His obedience to the plan of the Father, the Son possessed something He did not have before His incarnation. What did Jesus have after His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension that He did not have before all this took place? He always was the Son of God, but He was not human until His incarnation.
Jesus was our perfect example of humility and courage. In this passage of Scripture Paul appeals to believers to share the attitude of Christ. These verses contain some of the most important Christological truths in the Bible, yet they were written in a context which should encourage Christians to emulate the example of Christ. Having the mind of Christ means “to think as Christ thought.”
“Bringing my Christmas best” means following the example of Jesus by displaying fortitude (courage, bravery, strength of mind, toughness of spirit, firmness of purpose) especially during times of pain or adversity.
I was speaking with a treasured friend who had the courage to share her heart with me. She talked about numerous times in her career when she had been mistreated—overlooked and undervalued. Because I have known her for many years and had also walked with her through some of the heart-breaking events, God gave me an opportunity to shoot an arrow of encouragement straight into her heart. He gave me the presence of mind to say, “Despite tremendous pain and adversity, you held your head high and I saw you bring your very best every day!”
Since I have the shining example of Christ’s beautiful humility and steadfast fortitude to imitate— and the example of His magnificent exaltation to encourage me all along the way—I want to be worthy of Him. My gift back is to always bring my Christmas best to every day! Merry Christmas!