Page 32 - November 2022 - Truth & Tidings

“ or you know the grace of our Lord carnation, this would be the greatest “riches
Jesus Christ, that though He was rich,
to rags” story ever told. But, in order that we
Fyet for your sakes He became poor, impoverished, destitute sinners might enter
that you through His poverty might become into spiritual riches, the Lord Jesus Christ
rich” (2Co 8:9). 1 had to condescend further, to the depth of
“The rich get richer and the poor get cross-death. Paul described the poverty of
poorer” is the age-old adage. The news wire the cross most famously when he wrote to
confirms this reality with headlines report- the believers in Philippi: “Christ Jesus, who,
ing that the top 1% now hold more wealth being in the form of God, did not consider
than the middle 60% of Americans. There it robbery to be equal with God, but made
has never been a time, perhaps, with such Himself of no reputation, taking the form of
an interest in accumulating riches and yet a bondservant, and coming in the likeness
such dissatisfaction with the distribution of of men. And being found in appearance as
wealth. If this is your frustration, then please a man, He humbled Himself and became
consider the wonder of the financial account- obedient to the point of death, even the
ing of God’s offer of salvation as described death of the cross” (Php 2:5-8).
in 2 Corinthians 8:9. For you know. Our minds may fail to grasp
He was rich. We struggle to grasp the reality the immensity of His riches and the incon-
of true wealth. We look at yachts, car collec- gruity of His poverty, but this verse speaks
tions and vacation homes, but still wonder of the certainty of knowing the grace of our
what it really means to be a billionaire. In a Lord Jesus Christ. To know His grace is to
far greater sense, we struggle to understand know salvation. To Timothy, Paul described
the immensity of Christ’s riches. He was not his appreciation of Christ’s grace: “And the
marked by riches in Nazareth, nor in Caper- grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant,
naum nor in Jerusalem. The enormity of His with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
riches is displayed in heaven. Our minds must This is a faithful saying and worthy of all
consider the eternal Son of God and all the acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
treasures of His personage, His place, His world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”
power and His preeminence. (1Ti 1:14-15).
He became poor. If we fail to understand For your sakes. The richest man alive on
His riches, we face an even greater task to earth today, Elon Musk, has expressed his
apprehend His poverty. So much of what desire to one day die on the planet Mars.
was rightly His was laid aside when He came The richest Man in heaven has a far greater
from heaven. But the verse goes deeper in its desire for you. The reason for His cross and
consideration. If we meditated only on the in- poverty, the reason for His grace, is the desire
that after death you will awaken in heaven
¹ Scripture quotations in this article are from the
NKJV. to enjoy His riches for all of eternity.