Rich and poor at the same time

Sunday August 15, 2021

"You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ : for you he became poor when he was rich, so that by his poverty you may be enriched." 2 Corinthians 8. 9

“Everything is yours, and you is Christ, and Christ is God’s.” 1 Corinthians 3:23

Rich and poor at the same time

For many people, happiness depends on what they have : money, consideration, power, etc. However, for many others, true happiness is independent of any external wealth.

Our Lord on earth was poor in material goods. At birth, his cradle is only the manger of a beast ; then he lives in someone else's house ; he uses another's boat ; women provide for his material needs ; he borrows a colt ; he is buried in the tomb prepared for another.

However, what richness in this poverty !

He was rich in wisdom : wiser than Solomon (Luke 11:31).

He was rich in love : he loved sinners to the point of giving his life for them and as for his disciples, he loved them to the end (John 13. 1).

He was rich in compassion : “Jesus saw a great crowd and was filled with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).

He was rich in mercy : “Go to your house, to your people, and tell them all that the Lord has done for you, how he had mercy on you” (Mark 5. 19).

He was full of joy : “May my joy abide in you and your joy be complete” (John 15. 11).

He was rich in inner peace : “I leave you in peace ; I give you my peace ”(John 14.27).

He was obedient in everything : “I came down from heaven not to do my will, but that of him who sent me” (John 6:38).

He was rich in determination and courage : “When the days approached when he was to be taken from the world, Jesus made the decision to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9.51).

Is it impossible to live according to the model of the Lord Jesus ? Let us remember that Paul wrote of himself and his companions : “As poor, and yet we enrich much ; as having nothing, while we have everything” (2 Corinthians 6:10).

Source (Pleasing the Lord)