We went on a family vacation to the East Coast when I was 17. Duke University was one of the many places we visited.

I expected Cameron Indoor Stadium, where Duke plays basketball, to be fancy. But we walked right by it without knowing what it was because the outside looked like a run-down auditorium.

Once we realized what it was, we walked closer. The doors were open so we walked in. We walked onto the floor and down the halls. I felt like a six-year-old in the toy aisle.

We saw Coach Krzyzewski’s office. It looked like the coach’s office at my high school. It was unimpressive. That was 19 years ago, so things may be different now.

As one of the premier athletic programs in the NCAA, Duke and Coach K denied themselves the glamor that was rightfully theirs.

Duke had massive resources to build a giant, flashy arena, but they did not. Coach K could have had a revolving office in a opulent tower, but he did not. Cameron Indoor Stadium and Coach K’s office remind me of Jesus, because they are humble and not showy.

The preexistent God the Son had massive resources. All glamor was rightfully His. He had the highest status. He was subject to nothing. Nothing could touch Him unless He allowed it.

But then He did something people on top don’t do.

He moved to the slums and became a minion. He became subject to those He ruled. He kneeled to wash feet which He created. He became poor even though He had it all.

God the Son became Jesus of Nazareth for a lot of reasons. One of them was to make us rich.

God could have stayed in His opulent tower. But because humility is in His DNA, He did not. God came down to raise us up with Him. Philippians, chapter 2, says to model that.

Athlete, God wants you to kneel like Jesus and serve others. Your resources, position and abilities were not given to you so you can lord them over others, but so you can serve others.

You are not rich so you can sit on top and look down, but to stoop and make others rich.

Action: Use your position and abilities to make someone rich today. Maybe that means call your Grandma, or remember a teammate who is easy to forget.