For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty
you might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
Many years ago when I said my wedding vows to my soon-to-be
husband, one of the pledges I made was that I would belong to him whether we
would be rich or poor. My whole life, up to this point, had been built on
meager wealth, so being wealthy, or poor, had no real effect on my love for
him.
When I was a young child, our family of 7 lived in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house. Then dad converted a back porch, into a sunroom,
where the children could spread out more. When we moved to the country, and
rented a farm house, I felt as if we lived in a mansion. I can attest, as an
adult, it was not a mansion by any means. However, we had more space, and land
to roam. We still only had one bathroom, and we also had an extra person. Dad
finally built an outhouse to help in that area.
I look back and realize that in many ways we were wealthy.
We always had clothes, mom sewed for us, and we always had food. To the
standard of some people, we were wealthy indeed. God always took care of our
needs, and even blessed us with some of our wants.
When we look at Jesus, we see a God in heaven who owns
everything. Yet Jesus left that comfort, to come as a baby to a poor couple,
Mary and Joseph. His earthly parents were not rich like Solomon, Job, or
Abraham. They did not possess land, cattle, money, or prestigious positions in
the community. They were just the average, everyday people, who had willing
hearts, to be instruments of God.
Jesus was born in a barn, with animals and hay. Jesus never
owned a home. He never even really settled anywhere. His food came as He needed
it. The Bible never speaks of Him clothes shopping. He never had a cell phone,
car, bicycle, jewelry, Nike tennis shoes, a Fitbit, a Gameboy, big screen smart
TV, computer, or an I-pad. And because He was all-knowing, He knew these things
would exist in the future.
Jesus left His rich home in heaven, so that through His
sacrifice, we could become rich. Our riches may not have a monetary value, but
our riches come from His wealth of love, peace, comfort, joy, forgiveness, and life
everlasting. We can still have our mansion though, as He is preparing one for
us in heaven. We will have streets of gold, and we will have a bounty of food. I’m
sure it will be a sight to behold. I think this mansion, with many rooms, will
have more than one bathroom, or maybe we won’t need bathrooms anymore. I will
have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I can only hope!
Dear Savior, Thank you for leaving your riches in heaven,
and becoming poor, so that we could become rich. Your great love amazes me.
Amen
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