The Example of Jesus 

   “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness;” (Phil 2: 6 – 7) 

   Jesus could have come as a king, someone of authority and power in the world.  Instead, He chose to come as an infant, a baby reliant upon Mary and Joseph for His very life.

   From birth until He began His ministry Jesus lived what we might consider a normal life.  As he matured he would have become an apprentice to Joseph, learning the skills of a carpenter.  Perhaps He would have known the tiresome daily routine that we also know.  He may have had days when He didn’t feel well.  In other words, He would have lived those years much as we do.

   Even in His ministry He knew the hardships of life.  He knew the temptations of Satan, just as we do.  He spent long days on the road walking from place to place, sleeping wherever He happened to be when night came.  He felt the pain of rejection from those who He had come to save.  He knew the pain of the scourging, the crown of thorns and finally the horror of death on the cross.  His was not an easy life even though He was and is God.

   If we are to truly know Jesus we must know Him not only as the Son of God and our Savior, but also as a man.  A man who knew the trials and difficulties of life just as we do and rose above them. His humanity presents us with the example of how we are to live our lives, placing all our trust in God and seeking His will in all things.