For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor. So that by his poverty, you might become rich.

Once again, Paul has put the whole gospel into one sentence. Think of what he’s saying. You know what grace is. Grace is the story of Jesus. He is the eternal Son of God who lived in the riches of eternity. But because we were lost in sin and death, he came to find us. He stripped himself of glory and became poor. He was born in humility and lived in obscurity. He made his way as a working man in a backwater town. He gave away his love, his time, and his energy as he went about healing and forgiving. He gave us life in the ultimate humiliation of crucifixion. The Lord of glory died a disgraceful death. And he did it for you. For your sake he became poor. So that out of his suffering we might have forgiveness. Out of his disgrace, mankind might be restored. Out of his death, we might have life. He makes us rich with eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and every spiritual blessing that comes from being in intimate relationship to the Triune God.

There’s a flow here. God who is complete fullness, emptied himself into our humanity so that our empty hearts might be filled. He poured himself into our lives so that we might be filled up with grace and love and mercy again. That’s the heart of how God cares for the creatures he loves.

We are meant to participate in this flow of grace. By receiving it as a gift, yes. But also by giving grace back out to others.

"Go with the Flow"
2 Corinthians 8: 1-15
Gerrit Dawson
October 15, 2017