11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
When I first read Philippians 4:11-13, I imagined Paul speaking of being physically poor and in need versus being rich in material possessions. This verse use to speak to me about being content in my physical circumstances with little "wealth" or a lot of "wealth". As time has gone on, the more I read this living verse I see God saying this abasement has to do with my spiritual need. I am reminded of the first words of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
I am to always be desperate for God. My spiritual walk started as a desperate need for Him, and I want to end my walk on this earth desperate for God. If I started with Grace how shall I end other than by grace. Galatians 3:3 says "Are you so foolish? Having begun [a]by the Spirit, are you now [b]being perfected by the flesh?" I am spiritually bankrupt before God. Every "good thing" that I would try to do really is a filthy rag before Him. Isaiah 64: 6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
Being abased is an emptying of self. This learning to be abased is a learning process. For me, it has come after much loss and much grief. Grief has a way of ripping off everything that covers me only to leave me naked and bare. Jesus has promised me His robe of righteousness as I stand against the winds and storms of this life.
Abased means to bring to the base (the lowest part of a column).Psalm 144:12 "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; our daughters as corner-columns, sculptured after the fashion of a palace:" I, Melinda, daughter of the King, am to be a corner column sculpted after the fashion of a palace. When I think of the base of a beautiful column, I usually see a "base plate" that spreads the load over a larger area and reduces the bearing pressure so the column does not collapse. God is our base. We have to be emptied of self in order to get to the bottom of the column and see Jesus who bears all things.
In Ancient times, columns were not just decorate but also weight bearing to hold the palace up and together. Without the columns, the building would collapse. Columns also allow light to enter in and make for open spaces rather than walls to hold up the building which prevent light and air to pass. This reminds me of the need to be a column rather than a wall so God's light shines through and passes to others.
Abased means to bring low and to be humbled. It is about laying aside all pretensions. According to Psalm 73:26, God is to be my strength and my portion forever. Being abased means giving up/renouncing all other "portions" and things I put confidence in. As self dependence is cast down and I am humbled, God whispers His promese to me that He will exalt in due season (Luke 14:10). Abased is a lowering of the mind and heart as God increases, I decrease.
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