For the sake of you and me.

Scripture Read: 2 Corithians 8:7-9 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8  I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9  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 might become rich.

Application: Sake = end, purpose, the good, advantage, benefit - This is the gospel – the incarnation. Everything Christ did was for His Father yet also benefited us. I know His motive was first to please His Father but love for us had to be in there! Consider all that He left and for what – Yes – the Father – yet He had to know that all of that was to redeem us. So even if Jesus can see it pleased the Father why would it please the Father to ask, watch, allow and even participate in the sacrifice of Christ His Son? God’s wrath was poured on Him! – This is beyond us Lord – yet we know it is true. The unbelievable thing is that we still fall into sin – knowing how much it cost You! Lord we are speechless – like Paul in Romans 7 we see the tug of war between our love for You and our desire toward sin. No wonder Paul screamed “Oh wretched man"! We know we love You yet our actions sometimes are so contrary to that. Steve Green sang it well – I regret the hours I have wasted and the pleasures I have tasted that You were never in. And I confess that though Your love is in me, it doesn’t always win me when competing with my sin. I Repent! Thank You Jesus for making it possible for us to repent. You love us so much!