He Became Poor so We Can Become Rich

He Became Poor so We Can Become Rich

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 (ESV)

I love how our church is putting a lot of effort into finding new ways to serve “the least of these.”  We are seeing a good response within our congregation, and the elders are seeking avenues to do this as well.  This is, by no means, a new concept in the Christian faith.  Since the book of Acts, we see countless situations in which the church steps up and helps those in need.  This portion of 2 Corinthians ties into the supernatural gift of giving that is so precious to our faith.

A little history and context before we jump right into it.  Paul planted three churches during his second missionary journey in a region that was known as Macedonia; Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.  These churches suffered for their faith and also became very poor in the area of monetary resources.  While these churches are suffering, there is a collection happening for the poor Christians in Jerusalem.  The churches in Macedonia learn about this and volunteered, on their own, to contribute.  No one asked them because they knew it would hurt them to give.  But not only did these churches want to give, but they begged to give (2 Cor. 8:4).  Seeing the faithfulness of these poor churches, Paul asks this wealthy church to do the same.  The church of Corinth has matured since the first couple of times Paul wrote to them, now he asks that they excel in this area as well (2 Cor. 8:7).

So, what does all of this have to do with Jesus coming to us.  The answer is short, everything.  Remember we are talking about the God of the universe, yet He came to live and walk among us.  There is no one humbler than Jesus.  It is astounding because the One who owns everything decided to be broke, work a blue-collar job, be homeless, be born into scandal, and die the worst possible death imaginable.  Jesus did this, became the least among us so we can be with Him in eternity.  He became poor so we can become rich.  Paul uses this simple analogy of the Gospel to encourage the Corinthians to give.  If Christ can give up His life to save us, then surely, we can give money to those who need it the most.  We show our love for God through obedience, God shows His love, a lot of times, through His children.  Let’s be a channel of God’s love.

I want to end this with a challenge.  There are many opportunities to serve the least of these.  They can range from serving food at a soup kitchen to starting a non-profit.  I have been told we all have time, talent, and treasure; and we should be using at least one of these to glorify God.  Please, spend some time in prayer to see what God has called you to do.  Take some time and talk it over with your family and/or Missional Community.  I’m sure they would love to hear it.

I love you all,

Justin