You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor. Christ did this so that by his being poor, you might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
(Life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells Us…Try to imagine what that first, long ago Christmas was like for Me. Think about how much I gave up when I came to this earth as a baby. I set aside My Glory so that I could be part of the human race. I gave up the Power of Heaven to become a helpless infant. I left the majesty and perfection of heaven to be born in a dirty stable. That was a dark night for Me, even though angels lit up the sky announcing “Glory!” to amazed shepherds. But I did it all for you. When you sit quietly with Me, you experience the opposite of what I went through. As you focus on Me, and all I gave up for you, heaven opens up just a bit, giving you a glimpse of my glory.
Jesus Concludes…I became poor so that you could become rich. Sing praises to My holy Name.
2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Philippians 2:6-7; Luke 2:13-14
Study Notes
Footnotes 2 Corinthians 8:9 The Gospels don’t indicate that Jesus was any poorer than most first-century Palestinians, rather, Jesus became poor by giving up his rights as God and becoming human. In the Incarnation, God voluntarily became man, the wholly human person Jesus of Nazareth. As a man, Jesus was subject to place, time, and other human limitations. He did not give up his eternal power when he became human, but he did set aside his glory and his rights. In response to the Father’s will, he limited his power and knowledge. Christ “became poor” when he became human because he set aside so much. Yet by doing so, he made us rich by giving us salvation and eternal life. What made Jesus’s humanity unique was his freedom from sin. In Jesus we can see every attribute of God’s character. The Incarnation is explained further in these Bible passages: John 1:1-14; Romans 1:2-5; Philippians 2:6-11; Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 1:1-3.
Passage 2 Corinthians 4:6. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Footnotes 2 Corinthians 4:7. The supremely valuable message of salvation in Jesus Christ has been entrusted by God to frail and fallible human beings. Paul’s focus, however, is not on the perishable container, but on its priceless contents, God’s power dwelling in us. Though we are “jars of clay,” God uses us to spread his gospel, and he gives us power to do his work. Relying on God’s power, not our own, will keep us from pride and motivate us to stay close to him, our power source. If you do this, many will see God’s Spirit shining in you and be drawn to him. They will notice that, although you have normal struggles and challenges, there is something appealing about how you handle them. They will be able to tell that you rely on another power source, and they will want to know more.
Passage Philippians 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Footnotes Philippians 2:5 Jesus Christ was humble, willing to give up his rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should have a servant’s attitude, serving out of love for God and for others, not out of guilt or fear. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others.
Passage Luke 2:13-14 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14”Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Footnotes Luke 2:11-14 Some of the Jews were waiting for a savior to deliver them from Roman rule, others hoped the Christ (Messiah) would deliver them from physical ailments. But Jesus, while healing their illnesses and establishing a spiritual kingdom, delivered them from sin. He outstripped all their expectations. People often set their own agenda for Jesus and thus expect too little from him. His work is more far-reaching than anyone could imagine. He has paid the price for sin and opened the way to peace with God. He offers us more than temporary political or physical changes, he offers us new hearts, which will be ours for eternity.
Jesus Tells Us is from the Jesus Calling 365 devotions for kids.
THE WORLD…we see history
David Brainerd, I dared to Rejoice in God, “comfort, yes, Comfort My People
In the Word and the World, we see His Story, I dared to rejoice in God
When David Brainerd, twenty-nine, died on October 9th, 1747, he could not have imagined how his influence, amplified by the Great Awakening, would reverberate through the centuries to fuel the age of Christian missions. Brainerd, who was born in 1718, experienced a profound conversion to Christ in 1739 and enrolled at Yale. When his spiritual enthusiasm resulted in his expulsion, Brainerd embarked on the task of evangelizing Native Americans, preaching throughout the North-east, battling the elements, fighting off depression, and suffering from tuberculosis. Brainerd’s story is gripping, because he suffered mental depression and physical weakness, while battling intense loneliness in an undying quest to find and finish the work God had assigned him.
The WORD…we see Jesus, His Story!
Jonathan Edwards said of Brainerd, “He exceeded all melancholy persons that ever I was acquainted with.” Because of these factors, Brainerd was cast on the mercy of God more than most of us, and all of us can relate to parts of his struggle. He learned to draw from the Lord’s comfort, practice the Lord’s companionship, and employ the Lord’s strength. When he had nowhere else to turn, Brainerd inevitably turned to the comfort of Scripture. Brainerd kept a diary and wrote with tremendous honesty. In his entry for May 18th, 1743, he wrote: My circumstances are such that I have no comfort, of any kind, but what I have in God. I live in the most lonesome wilderness, have but one single person to converse with, that can speak English. Most of the talk I hear, is either Highland-Scotch or Indian. I have no fellow Christian to whom I might [unburden] myself, and lay open my spiritual sorrows, and with whom I might take sweet counsel in conversation about heavenly things, and join in social prayer. I live poorly with regard to the comforts of life, most of my diet consists of boiled corn, hasty pudding, and etc. I lodge on a bundle of straw, my labor is hard and extremely difficult, and I have little appearance of success, to comfort me. Two days later he added: Was much perplexed some part of the day, but towards night, had some comfortable meditations on Isaiah 40:1 [“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith your God” (KJV] and enjoyed some sweetness in prayer. Afterward, my soul rose so far above the deep waters, that I dared to rejoice in God: I saw, there was sufficient matter of consolation in the blessed God. I love that phrase: “I dared to rejoice in God.” Sometimes we feel guilty if we rejoice in our hearts, for we’re so aware of our problems and pressures. The weakness and weariness of life makes us consider worry the most appropriate emotional response to it all. But when we find the comfort of God within the pages of His Word, and when we experience the sweetness of prayer, we can dare to rejoice in Him. Brainerd did see some outward success during his brief ministry. On August 8th 1745, he wrote, “In the afternoon I preached to the Indians, their number was now about sixty-five person, men, women, and children. The power of God seemed to descend upon the assembly ‘like a mighty rushing wind,’ and with an astonishing energy bore down all before it. I stood amazed at the influence which seized the audience almost universally, and could compare it to nothing more aptly, than the irresistible force of a mighty torrent.” In July 1747, Brainerd rode to Jonathan Edwards’ house, almost too weak to sit in the saddle. Edwards’ family cared for him in his final days, and Brainerd maintained his journal nearly to the end. His last entry from October 2nd reads, “My soul was this day, at turns, sweetly set on God. I longed to be with him, that I might behold his glory, oh, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen. Brainerd died on October 9th 1747, and two years later Edwards published The Life of David Brainerd, composed mainly of Brainerd’s journal entries. It electrified the nation, inspired America’s first generation of missionaries, and has never gone out of print. Brainerd could only experience his life in the moment, but we can evaluate it from the perspective of history. He battled depression and illness, sought comfort from God, drew from the words of scriptures such as Isaiah 40, and pursued his work for God until he literally gave out. And he died young with little outward success to encourage him. And yet how great his impact! William Carey, known as the Father of Modern Missions, referred to Brainerd’s Diary as “almost a second Bible.” Missionary pioneer Henry Martyn wrote, “I long to be like him!” almost every pioneer missionary kept a copy of Brainerd’s life near at hand. John Piper called The Life of David Brainerd, “a biography that has inspired more missionary service, perhaps, than any other book outside the Bible. His story has become a spiritual classic.” How amazing to think that our greatest ministry often comes after we’re gone!
Source: https://www.robertjmorgan.com/shop/100-bible-verses-that-made-america/ Page 43