The Downward Path to Greatness - Rev Dr Andrew Peh

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Today, it seems common for us to share rags-to-riches stories as examples of success. We love these stories of vertical ascent.

But if we read Philippians, Paul made it clear that the earliest Christians knew that the greatest story ever told was not a rags-to-riches tale, but a riches-to-rags story.

He presented the story of a descent to greatness in the person of Jesus Christ, who, though He had equal status with God, set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave to become human. He lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death.

Jesus had to restrain His power. He had to restrict His location to just one place at a time instead of being omnipresent. He had to give in to His body by eating when He was hungry and by lying down for a nap when He was tired. He laid aside the very privileges of divinity and took on humanity.

Jesus did not consider equality with God as something to be held onto, but He took on humanity and came to love and to serve us.

Think about that, and how it should transform the way we love and the way we serve. The path that the Saviour took is the path of service. He became nothing in order for us to become something.

Will you also take this downward descent in order to ensure that another person will be able to ascend?