³ 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.

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:3-11

Dear God, Piper’s selected verses were 9-11, but I felt like they needed the context of verses 3-8, so I included them here as well. Looking out for the interests of others as important, if not more so, than my own. Oh, how you love us. It’s amazing. It’s simply amazing that you love us so much. How much love then do I not only owe you, but those around me as well? And I don’t care about elevation. I just want to be with you. I don’t care about honor from others. I don’t even need you to honor me above anyone else. I just want to be with you. I want to be allowed into your presence. In this moment. In the next moment. In all of the moments to come. In the new earth. I just want to be allowed into your presence.

Why? Well, one reason is that you are the type of God that would become incarnate for fools like me. Your love and sacrifice for us was and still is remarkable. To just sit with verses 6-8 for a minutes and contemplate their reality is almost mind-blowing:

⁶ Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

I like Piper’s first paragraph as he talks about verses 9-11:

Christmas was God’s most successful setback. He has always delighted to show his power through apparent defeat. He makes tactical retreats in order to win strategic victories.

Father, give me eyes to see when you need me to retreat, and when you need me to advance. When you need me on my knees, and when you need me out in front. When you need me to have serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and when you need me to have courage to change the things I can. I need your wisdom, Father. And I also just want to say thank you this morning. Thank you for this. Really. You are amazing. You are amazing, God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen