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Grace lifts you up from where you are, to where God wants you to be, even as you continue to meditate upon His promise that will certainly come to pass, for the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. [Psalms 102:16] And may God build you up, and everything that is connected to you, as He beautifies you with His salvation, even as He supplies all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. He builds you up through a relationship with Him as your Father, that becomes possible when Christ becomes your Personal Savior and you are no more in bondage and slavery to fear that is of the devil. It is knowing the truth that sets you free, as the Holy Spirit, the Helper is now in you to lead you into all truth, to Truth that is the Person of Jesus Christ, to know and to experience Him, His finished work of the Cross of Calvary, in the very core of your being, and be transformed more and more into His likeness. [John 14:16, 16:13]
The truth of the CROSS:
The Cross still stands. The Blood of Christ will never lose its power. It remains the eternal, unchanging truth of the Cross, where the Son of God laid down His life in love and submission, that you and I may become the sons of God.
The truth unpacked-
He became, that we may become and, what He became, we need no longer be – a] He became sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in Him. And because He became sin, we need no longer be a sinner, in bondage to sin. b] He became a curse, that we may become the blessing of God. And because He became a curse, we need no longer be under the curse. c] He became poor on the Cross, that you may become rich. And because He became poor on the Cross, you no longer need to be poor. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich. Yet for your sake, He became poor, that you through His poverty may become rich. [2 Corinthians 8:9]
Being rich or poor – the scriptural perspective:
Biblical prosperity is always connected to the purposes of God, and come into play only when you have a personal relationship with God, as you love Him wholeheartedly. [Romans 8:28] It is more than just the economic well-being of a person, though it could also be a part of it. The richness of God is His attribute of abundance or unlimitedness. He is rich in mercy and grace, His mercy extending to a thousand generations. And it is in this sense that He who was rich became poor on the Cross.
The richness of Christ:
All things were made by Him, through Him, and for Him, and in Him all things hold together. [Colossians 1:15-17] All the silver and gold on earth is His. He is an unlimited God, incomparable in His richness. His richness is higher and deeper than mere material possessions.
Why did Christ become poor?
He chose to become poor for the sake of you and me, and all of humanity. For, it is the carnal nature in man that refuses to or is unable to submit to the good and gracious word of God. For the mind that is set on the flesh, is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law, for indeed it cannot. [Romans 8:7] And, it is so that this lack or inability, or spiritual poverty is transformed to be the richness of God, that Christ became poor, on the Cross of Calvary. For, a man could be financially rich, but spiritually a pauper. And the value of a man’s soul, transcends all the riches of the world, in the sight of God.
Where it all began – 1] ‘I am my own god’-
The carnality of man, his inability to obey the good word of God, finds its cause in the garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve chose to disobey, to say without words, ‘I know; I can decide for myself. And from then on, man has been reaping the fruit of it. He calls what is evil, good; and what is good, evil. Science and technology has taken giant strides forward and man has gone to the moon and safely returned, but his inner poverty still remains unchanged, reflected in the increasing evil, the vile acts of man against man. Dethroning God and enthroning one’s own self in the place of God, lies at the root of it all. It is the ‘fool’ or the rebellious who says there is no God, even as the scripture declares.
2] A ‘practical atheism’!
And it could also be what is termed, practical atheism. It is acknowledging God with your mouth, but with a heart that is far from Him, having no place for Him in the decisions that you make, for the carnal mind of a fallen man, is unable to submit to the word of God. And that indeed is being very very poor.
3] When money replaces God-
God is not against you having wealth and possessions. In fact, He desires it in your life, so that His purposes for you and His kingdom may be fulfilled. The danger lies in being unable to do the will of God, and money taking the place of God in your life. And even after turning to the Lord, there could be a slow drifting away from Him, that could see it happen. It is the Risen and Glorified Lord’s warning to the church at Laodicea.
4] Self-deception:
For you say, ‘I am rich; I have prospered, I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [Revelation 3:17] They thought they had it all, but they were poor in the sight of God. And they did not know it! You deceive yourself when you equate material wealth alone with the blessing of God, for what is more important is your relationship with God, the nature and depth of it. And for it to happen, your inability to submit, and become obedient to His word, had to be broken. You and I were dead in our trespasses, a state of abject poverty, eternally separated from God. And therefore, Christ became poor, to die for us on the Cross, to make us rich toward God.
5] The unlimited God became limited:
The unlimited God, became man, being born in the likeness of men. He became poor, being restricted by human limitations. And being found in human form, He humbled He became limited, and in His poverty, did something powerful, to become obedient, even death on the Cross. [Philippians 2:7,8]
The CROSS-
It was on Calvary’s Cross that Christ became sin, curse, and became poor, so that you and I, as we trust in Him, become righteous, blessed, and truly rich. For, He was crucified, and hung on a tree because He became a curse; and it was so that we can become the blessing of God. And when He became poor, on the Cross, our inability to submit to the will of God, was broken by His obedience to His Father’s will, so that we may be made rich in God.
The rich truth that sets you free:
There is ever so often a struggle within you to submit to the will of God, that is good and perfect for you. [Romans 7:21-24] But standing on the truth of what Christ has accomplished, With his submission and obedience, you need not struggle anymore. [vs 25] He was crucified in weakness, for our limitations, displaying His humanity. And by His resurrection that established His divinity, His unlimitedness is now yours, removing your inability to submit to God, and His word to you. On the Cross, He has done what only He can do. And, all that sin has affected in your life, is now restored by God’s gift of salvation. You are no longer poor or limited. Therefore, you can do all things, be obedient to His word, and submit to His will, through Christ who strengthens you. You can say ‘yes’ to His word; God has indeed made you rich! Your chains of limitations that kept you in bondage are gone. And surely goodness and mercy will follow you, as His mercy rains upon you like a flood, and His unending love is lavished upon you.
UNLIMITED GOD – your experience:
Father, We thank thee for your amazing grace; once blind, we now see. Once wretched, we are now blessed. Once poor, by Christ’s obedience, that is ours this day, we are now rich. And in the knowledge and experience of the truth that has set us free, may we be renewed in our minds, and transformed, to grow from strength to strength, in the Spirit’s power, to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. May your blessing and rich unlimitedness be the portion of your people, now and in all the coming days. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
