Hello everyone. Christmas is drawing near and that should make us think of 1 thing. JESUS. For the next several weeks I am going to write about verses that speak directly about Jesus and what He has done for us!

The first verse is 2 Corinthians 8:9 which states, "But you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." This is a wonderful verse that teaches us three wonderful truths.

1. Jesus was rich before He became poor! John the Baptist was 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1:36), however, when John spoke of Jesus he repeatedly said, "He was before me" (John 1:15, 27). How could this be true? The answer is simple...

- Jesus is the Eternal Creator (John 1:1,14).
- Jesus is "the alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last" (Revelation 1:11).
- Jesus is the "I AM" who existed long before Abraham (John 8:58).
- Jesus is one with the Father (John 10:30).

2. Jesus became poor for our sakes! The Eternal Creator became poor! The Lord Jesus Christ stepped out of heaven and became a lowly man. Jesus actually became a poor man (who was homeless, Luke 9:58) and who was despised and rejected by the world and his peers (Isaiah 53:3-4). Ultimately, Jesus would humble himself to the point of dying on a cross for mankind. The Lord Jesus Christ left His throne and the glory that was rightfully His to become a man who would be mocked, beaten and murdered. He really did become poor!

3. We can be rich because Jesus of what Jesus did! The Lord Jesus Christ became poor for our sakes! Because He died for our sins on the cross we do not have to perish! Instead of standing before God and being condemned...

- We can become children of God!
- We can have an inheritance in the kingdom of God!
- We can have eternal life!
- We can look forward to the city whose builder and maker is God!
- We can look forward to kicking up gold dust!

We can do all of this because the Lord Jesus Christ became "poor" for our sakes! That is why we celebrate Christmas. That is why we should be thankful when we think of the Eternal Creator entering this world as a baby lying in a manager! He did it all for us. Let's all say, "Thank you Jesus!"