Proud Father

I was reading my wife's new NIV bible on our back deck this morning; after I had listened to a recording of Phillipians at biblegateway.com (a wonderful resource I use frequently) during my devotional time. I have read Phillipians hundreds of times but never had realized the inference of chapter 2:5-11.
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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." NIV
In this appeal to christians to be like Christ, God inspires the writer to record God's opinion of his son- Proud Father.
I remember the process of my son growing up and tackling things new to him or projects that were very challenging, and still relish the pride I felt when he "did it". Many things took a lot of persistance, failings, and retrys, but he usually succeeded. He is only human and subject to error and imperfections. How proud God must have been and is even now of his son who was willing to humble himself and succeed in perfecting God's plan of redemption. Their is a tendency of christians to center the gospel in Christ and talk about him in highest praise, which is only right since God decided that He should be highly exalted. However the afore quoted scripture notes that we should honor Christ to the glory of God the Father. Christ's own life was a constant search to extol his father, and he strove to commune with him and seek his council in all he did.
Very little preaching I've heard in recent years have centered on the character and highly exalted position of God the Father. I think we need a refreshing look at who God is and what he is like. Jesus would be pleased with us if we did, for it's in his heart to Glorify the Father.
The first part of the quotation from Phillipians 2 leaves us with our explicit instructions. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus".
"Oh, to be like thee, blessed redeemer, this is my constant longing and prayer", other things, experiences, and temptations scream for my attention, but God help me to keep you first and help me choose to be like Jesus Christ in all things.