Devotion: Attitude Adjustment (Philippians 2:5-8)

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,  7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 

Philippians 2:5-8

It doesn't take much time when watching or reading the news to discover that many people in our country don't have good attitudes toward those who are in authority over us. It doesn't seem to matter who is in office, one side or the other (and at times both sides) is questioning the integrity, competency, and motives of our political leaders. The call of the Fourth Commandment to honor those in authority over us — whether they be parents, teachers, pastors, or government officials — is often and repeatedly ignored by us to the point of having a habitually bad attitude regarding authority.

Part of the reason for our poor attitudes toward those in leadership is our understanding of what it means to submit to others in God's order of things. When we embrace the world's view of submission we are likely to resist submitting to others according to their office and insist on submitting only to those whom we respect or with whom we agree. When we feel that we are better equipped, smarter, more capable, etc. than those who are in authority over us we are not inclined to submit to them. But those things are not the basis for submitting in God's order of things.

If we want to understand what it means to take our place in the order of things we need look no further than Jesus. There is no one who is greater than He is, yet He humbled Himself and took "the very nature of a servant." His attitude was not based on comparing His abilities, views, intellect, or motives to anyone else's, but was based on doing the work that the Father had called Him to do. In order to accomplish that work, Jesus had to humble Himself and put Himself under the authority of people who were infinitely less capable, intelligent, and moral than He. He could have "grasped" — held onto — the power, glory, and majesty that was rightfully His, but that would have kept Him from doing the work that He came to do.  He chose to humble Himself and be obedient to those in authority over Him knowing that it would lead Him to death on the Cross. Jesus calls us to have this same attitude — to submit ourselves to those who are in authority over us not because of their effectiveness or worthiness, but because God has put them in those places in His order of things.  

I should thank You, Lord, for those whom You have put in authority over me, but I don't always appreciate them as the gifts that they are. Give me the right attitude toward all who serve me by exercising the authority that You have entrusted to them, that in doing so I would honor You. Amen.