“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT)
It is Memorial Day 2010. Take a moment to remember those serving our country in military service. Remember their families. They give up so much so we can have so much. No matter how much we may disagree with something our government leaders do, our military and their families are the ones on the front line ready to sacrifice for you and me. Some of us have family in the military, but for the most part, we do not know the names of those serving now. We do not know all the names of those who died for our country. There are pictures and faces, but we can take comfort in knowing that God knows the hairs on their head. Take a moment now to thank God for them.
Grace is God's goodness and kindness toward us which we really do not deserve. It does not matter about our merit or worth. It is freely given as a gift to all who believe the good news that Jesus is the Son of God, and He died for their sins.
Grace is free, but it isn't cheap. There was a high price that was paid to obtain this blessing for us. Jesus left the wealth of heaven to come to earth so that He could redeem us and give us the riches of His celestial home.
Think of what that meant in terms of Jesus' earthly life:
The One who is Creator and Owner of all things lived on earth without possessions. He was born in a borrowed stable, had no place to lay His head during the years of His itinerant ministry, and borrowed not only a donkey for entering Jerusalem but also an upper room for the last supper. Even the tomb was not His own.
Christ also laid aside the glory He had with the Father. Although He never stopped being God while He was on the earth, His dazzling God-like glory was veiled with human flesh. Being born as a helpless baby, Jesus went through all the stages of human growth and development. The Son of God descended from reigning on the Father's throne to washing the dirty feet of His disciples.
Christ became poor but lost nothing. Jesus regained the glory of heaven and brought us along. In following Him, believers likewise lose nothing and gain everything. We die to self and gain our souls; give away riches and receive heavenly treasures; and humble ourselves to be exalted in God's time.
God is simply presented in all of creation. We should know, acknowledge, and appreciate Him.
God is supreme and all powerful. We should respect Him.
God is focused on using us in His plan and loves us more than we know. We should worship Him.
God is personal and interested in our salvation and redemption. We should receive Him.
All of that is in Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” We have responsibility to God. We are twice His. First, we are His because of creation, and secondly, we are His because of redemption. He made us and He bought us.
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