February 12, 2025

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9

If someone were to give you an incredibly extravagant gift, it would probably be considered rude to ask the “how” questions; “How much did you spend on this? How could you afford this? Etc.” A more proper response would be to ask the “why” question; “Why would you do something so wonderful for me?” When it comes to an expression of love through a beautiful gift, the mechanics are not nearly as important as the motivation.

I am a huge proponent of every believer spending time learning and understanding the deep theological truths of the Bible. However, sometimes we come across a passage where we need to just stop asking the “how” questions and start asking the “why.” When it comes to the incarnation of Jesus Christ we can study until our head spins trying to understand how in the word the God of all creation could become a man. But in light of such an extravagant gift, I encourage you to take time and ask “why.” Why would the God of all creation step down from his throne to give me the most incredible gift that has ever been given in the history of the world? Why would he give up all his riches to make me rich? Why would he ever love me and sacrifice for me in such an unfathomable way? Take a moment today and let the theology of what he did be swallowed up by the incredible beauty of why he did it.

Almighty God, I am dumbfounded when I stand before You and see the love You have shown me through the incarnation, life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My inability to understand how You have done this is eclipsed my awe in contemplating why You would ever do it for a sinner like me.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon