I, again, also want to look to Christ as the pattern here. What I have been saying might lead one to think that if one gives, and gives, and gives, then one becomes a doormat. Well, I submit to you that just the opposite occurs! There is nobody who gave more than Christ, and He certainly was not a doormat. What He was, though, was considerate and sensitive—a concerned Leader—who humbly and wisely considered His options, and chose the best ones for all concerned. He was able to do this because He was truly surrendered to God. And He was not just looking out for His own interests. Far from losing authority, this is the very foundation of true authority and leadership.
So, again, I want you to connect this to Philippians 2:8-9, because it says that, because He humbled Himself, He is now exalted to the very highest degree possible.
So this U-shaped pattern is ironically illustrated in the story of Christ, the Deliverer, because Jesus the Deliverer must dive into the depths of human difficulty to bring human victims to new life in God's Kingdom. He has experienced what we experienced and He knows how to get us through. In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul emphasizes that Christ Jesus descended, from being in the form of God and equal with God, to taking on human likeness and servitude, even to the point of suffering the terrible death on the cross, and then He was highly exalted to universal Lordship.
That is the practical application of Philippians 2:5-11. That is what Paul was leading to (only on a much grander scale), when he said "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who humbled Himself." He did not think it a big thing that He should be equal with God! He did not grasp at it. He let it go. He humbled Himself. "Therefore, (Paul says) He has received the highest of exaltation."
He didn't grasp at it! He voluntarily gave it up.
Because He met the primary qualifications to be a ruler in the Kingdom of God—in that He proved Himself governable. He lived within the limits. He gave up control of His life—completely, and totally, to His Father.
