Emptying as a servant is an emptying of your ‘rights’.
“…but emptied himself…” (Phil. 2:7)
Jesus self-emptied himself – not of his divinity – but of certain divine rights and privileges. The only way for Christ to become a man was for aspects of who He was in eternity past to change – and some of these would change permanently.
Prior to becoming a man, Macarthur tells us Jesus had:
- Face-to-face access to God the Father
- Independent authority to act as God
- Rights to act as He saw fit
- Eternal Riches
- Favor with God
In one form or another, these changed because Jesus became a man.
The believer who has an attitude of servant suddenly realizes there are all these things present in his life that have the potential to make servanthood a real challenge:
- My desires and will
- My right to self-determine my destiny
- My craving to make a name for myself
- My demands for status
- My need for wealth and early retirement
All these things serve as potential impediments to what the Lord may want. Our lives are full of these things – and I need to take the proverbial bucket and pour these things out for the sake of servanthood.
It’s not that these things are impossible for a servant, but they’re add-ons if that’s what God wants – not starting points. If these are starting points and non-negotiables then becoming the servant God wants you to be won’t be possible.
Abandon the notion of self-directing your life. Reject the lie that you can be whatever your heart sets out to be. Embrace God’s destiny for your life.
After you have rightly identified the emptying of your rights as a servant, recognize the posture you should have as a servant. Read about that here.