Quote of the Day: Bearing the Destiny of the Suffering Servant

"The story of Jesus - his incarnation, his selfless life, his example of consistently loving behavior, his death and resurrection 'for us' - was the definitive expression of God's love for his creation. Paul describes this as the love of God himself in his concern for humans (Romans 5:8). The essence of the kingdom of God is a response to and imitation of this love as manifested through Jesus Christ. His followers share both the bearing and the destiny of the Suffering Servant. That is to say, the humility of Jesus is to be the normal disposition of the Christian. This thought is not limited, of course, to the Christ hymn of Philippians 2 but lies behind Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 8:9 that Christ, 'although he was rich, became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty might become rich.'"

From David Alan Black, Christian Archy (Gonzalez, FL: Energion Publications, 2009), 28.