Notes of Faith December 10, 2025
One of Us
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9
What did Jesus Christ look like? Did He have the appearance of royalty like Israel’s first (Saul) and second (David) kings did (1 Samuel 9:2; 16:12)? The Bible doesn’t describe Jesus’ appearance, but when the prophet Isaiah described the coming Messiah, the description was less royal and more common.
Using the descriptive words of The Message paraphrase, Jesus entered the world as “a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field.” He was not “attractive,” a person to whom we wouldn’t give “a second look.” He was “looked down on and passed over”; indeed, people “turned away” from Him (Isaiah 53:2-3). In other words, if you had passed Jesus on a crowded first-century street, you likely would have walked right by.
Paul makes it clear that Jesus left royalty behind and embraced poverty when He entered our world (Philippians 2:5-8). He became poor that we might become rich. Jesus welcomes us, the common man and woman, because He became one of us.
Thank God today that Jesus gave up royalty so that you might become spiritually rich in Him.
A Christian’s life is full of mysteries; poor, and yet rich.
Thomas Manton
Phil 2:5-11
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Thank You heavenly Father for sending Your only begotten Son to take on flesh and be the only sacrifice sufficient to save our souls from eternal destruction. Thank You Lord Jesus for doing the will of the Father and giving Yourself to save us, sanctify us, and take us to glory to be with You forever. True believers and followers of Jesus are indeed the richest of all…for the inheritance of the saints is to be with the glory of God both now and forevermore!
Pastor Dale