His Poverty, Our Riches
Jesus left all of the splendor and perfection of heaven to come to this world as a pauper. He did that to show that He was the Savior of all people, not just one class of people. Then, through His gracious sacrifice for our sins, we are made rich beyond our wildest dreams. (II Corinthians 8:9) We are joint heirs with Christ in His kingdom, we are children of God and citizens of heaven. What a deal! He became poor, so we could become rich.
There is so much that can be said about this verse, but if we keep it in the context of II Corinthians 8, we must relate it to giving of the riches that God has given us to meet the needs of those who do not have what we have. That is what Jesus did by dying for us. He paid our sin debt. He gave His blood to redeem us. He paid it all that we might have life and have it abundantly. If we are to be like Jesus, this Christmas and all year long, we must be willing to give of ourselves and our resources to benefit others who are poor and have needs that they could not meet, but we can. Of course, we must do this as the Lord directs us, just like Jesus was sent by God to fulfill His plan of salvation. Pray and ask the Lord to show you how you can follow in the footsteps of Jesus to make others rich with the gospel and/or material needs. Either way, if we are obedient, God can and will use it for His glory.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 9-11.
There is so much that can be said about this verse, but if we keep it in the context of II Corinthians 8, we must relate it to giving of the riches that God has given us to meet the needs of those who do not have what we have. That is what Jesus did by dying for us. He paid our sin debt. He gave His blood to redeem us. He paid it all that we might have life and have it abundantly. If we are to be like Jesus, this Christmas and all year long, we must be willing to give of ourselves and our resources to benefit others who are poor and have needs that they could not meet, but we can. Of course, we must do this as the Lord directs us, just like Jesus was sent by God to fulfill His plan of salvation. Pray and ask the Lord to show you how you can follow in the footsteps of Jesus to make others rich with the gospel and/or material needs. Either way, if we are obedient, God can and will use it for His glory.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 9-11.