“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9
What a wonderful truth to contemplate! Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, stepped out of the unending perfection of Heaven and into this world because of His love for us and for the Father. For your sake, the Son personally came to know things like heat, thirst, hunger, cold, and fatigue. He set aside the glory He’d enjoyed forever to be born in Bethlehem and laid to rest in an animal’s food trough. Instead of the unending praise of the angels, Jesus experienced rejection, humiliation, hatred, betrayal, suffering, and death.
That’s what Paul means when he writes about Jesus becoming poor for your sake. He really did! Jesus gave up so much so He could take your place on the cross. So He could take God’s righteous wrath for your sins on Himself. So that by His sinless life, sacrificial death, and physical resurrection He could defeat sin, death, and the devil for you and everyone who believes in Him. If Jesus is your Lord, then you are currently enjoying the exalted status of a royal child, heir, and ambassador. You are a friend of the Lord with an eternal inheritance in Heaven. You have enormous spiritual riches and it’s all because Jesus set aside His infinite riches.
That’s the love of God. The love of the Father. The love of the Son. The love of the Holy Spirit. That’s what it means when John writes, “For God so loved the world…” That’s what it means when Paul writes, “God shows His love for us…”. This love is profound. Meditate on it today. Praise Jesus for what He endured to rescue you from your sins and raise you to Heaven! #FollowJesus