Our Daily Bread -- Remember The Wrapping

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Our Daily Bread -- Remember The Wrapping December 22, 2014 Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn READ: Philippians 2:5-11 [Jesus] made Himself of no reputation . . . coming in the likeness of men. —Philippians 2:7 At our house some Christmas events are the same each year. Among them is my wife Martie’s appeal to the kids and grandkids as they attack their gifts: “Save the paper, we can use it next year!” Martie loves to give nice gifts, but she also appreciates the wrapping. Presentation is part of the beauty of the gift. It makes me think of the wrapping Christ chose when He came as a redemptive gift to rescue us from our sinful selves. Jesus could have wrapped Himself in a mind-boggling show of power, lighting up the sky with His presence in a celestial show of glory. Instead, in a beautiful reversal of Genesis 1:26, He chose to wrap Himself “in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7). So why is this wrapping so important? Because, being like us, He is no stranger to our struggles. He experienced deep loneliness and the betrayal of a dear friend. He was publicly shamed, misunderstood, and falsely accused. In short, He feels our pain. As a result, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). When you think of the gift of Jesus this Christmas, remember to keep the “wrapping” in mind! —Joe Stowell Lord, thank You for wrapping Yourself in our likeness! Remind us that You understand our struggles and that we can confidently take advantage of the mercy and grace You offer to make us victorious. Don’t disregard the wrapping of the best Christmas gift of all. Bible in a year: Micah 6-7; Revelation 13 Insight Philippians 2:5-11 is perhaps the greatest declaration of Christ’s deity and humanity in the Bible. In His incarnation, Jesus did not replace His deity with humanity, but added humanity to His deity; He did not cease to be God, but surrendered the independent use of His divine powers and the right to manifest His own glory as God. Before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed that the Father would restore to Him the glory He had with the Father “before the world was” (John 17:5). Jesus’ prayer was answered when the Father “highly exalted Him and [gave] Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). Share your comments on today’s devotional at odb.org.   You can make a difference. Even the smallest donation helps reach people around the world with the life-changing wisdom of the Bible. Donate	Special Offer Subscribe Mail Receive ODB at home Podcast Download ODB on iTunes Mobile Get ODB on the go Facebook facebook.com/ourdailybread Twitter twitter.com/ourdailybread Instagram instagram.com/our_daily_bread Google+ Add us to your circle RSS odb.org/feed
To read today's Our Daily Bread online visit www.odb.org. Copyright © 2014, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA. Written permission must be obtained from RBC Ministries for any further posting or distribution. RBC Ministries produces a variety of Bible resources, which are available for the asking. Many people, making even the smallest of donations, enable RBC Ministries to reach others with the life-changing wisdom of the Bible. We are not funded or endowed by any group or denomination. Write rbc@rbc.org for more information. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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