Why does a person bend over, or stoop down? Obviously to reach something, or someone. It’s physically kind of tough, some people can’t do it very well (or at least cannot get back up after).
We’ve been talking about following Christ. By following Christ we experience freedom – a deeper freedom to be who we are, a freedom to trust and hope even in the midst of tough circumstances.
Contrary to personal freedom is the idea of stooping down. Freedom means that I never have to stoop, never have to submit, never have to humble myself to another. Freedom means independence and choice. Right?
Freedom and Descent don’t seem to go together. Following Jesus in true freedom is a particular kind of life; a life of descent. Sadly, its one that I don’t live very well. It’s a life that:
Places others’ before oneself.
Puts our own priorities second.
Provides for the needs of others.
1st, a life of descent places others before oneself:
Philippians 2:3-4 "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."
Most of us like to talk about ourselves – what we’re doing, where we’ve been. What we need. Not surprising in our day, the individual is the master of all, from the perspective of our culture, advertising, facebook, everything is about me and all that exists, exists in order to fulfill my needs. It’s as though we are trained in America to be selfish and to take what’s ours. And naturally we try to impress others with our accomplishments. It’s seldom sinister, sometimes we’re just excited. But in verse three this corrective – "be humble, think of others as better than you."
How to do this?