The Joy of Lifting Up

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Phil. 2:9-11

This passage comes right after the description of how Jesus so willingly humbled himself, even to the point of death for our sake.  From the very lowest of places, God raises Jesus to the very highest.  This is joy, this is triumph, this is love – power freely and gladly used to lift up the beloved.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once wrote: “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

Spend a few minutes with God mulling over these words and reflecting on a low moment or broken area in your life when someone took joy in lifting you up.  What was that like for you?  How was it an expression of the right use of power, of a strong love?  How might God use you in a similar way to care for someone else?