Jesus Christ came to this earth and He truly humbled Himself by taking on the form of man. He who knew no sin took on our sin that we may have everlasting life.
Think about this; the Almighty Lord, who by the flick of His divine finger could cause the world to cease to exist, came down to this earth on a mission to offer Himself up as a sacrifice. He was insulted over and over again, called a blasphemer, treated as a liar, beaten, wounded, whipped, and subjected to intense torcher at the cross.
And yet, He was reviled, but He did not revile.
It doesn’t get any more selfless than that. To have all the power, but offer Himself as a lamb to the slaughter.
“who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
We are called to be like Him; to have this same level of selflessness. I’ve read a devotion by A.W. Tozer and he gave a test on how to determine if we are selfless or self centered.
“If anybody crosses you, your hackles go up immediately because you are self centered and self indulgent. You are very quick to defend yourself against all so-called enemies. Just let anybody cross you, and they will know it immediately.”
Consider this test—my way or the highway. If things always have to be your way to be at peace, then you are self-centered. You have to be in control. It’s all about your control over people, people’s actions, and situations. If you lose control, your world begins to crumble. You do whatever you can to manipulate people and situations in order to get them on your side and gain back the control. You become ruthless in that pursuit, consumed with scheming about your next step to maintain control.
Jesus, the Word, Lord and Creator of all things, did not do this. The religious leaders of His time were constantly scheming against Him.
However, when He was reviled, He did not revile.
Today, we are challenged to follow the instructions and example of Jesus and deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).
Dan Buteau has been married for the last 33 years and is a father of four adult children. He is also a grandfather to five children. He serves as a Pastor at a church in southern Maine. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Math Studies from Granite State University and he is currently a Master’s of Theology student at Liberty University. In addition, Dan served in the United States Marine Corps for four years and is retired from a 25-year career in law enforcement. He has a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and is continuing to obey the calling of his Savior, Jesus Christ, as he carries out the Great Commission.
