One of my favorite commercials is about a company that specializes in second mortgages. This commercial features a man who, at first glance, seems to have it all. He has a nice house, a new car, and nice clothes. His life seems to be just perfect. At the end of the commercial, the man makes this statement while riding his lawn mower. He looks at the camera and says, “I am so in debt that I can barely make the minimum payments. Won’t somebody help me?”
The first time I saw this commercial, I thought to myself, “How true!” We live in a culture that is obsessed with gathering all the riches we can. Our lives are consumed with making money and spending it on the stuff we see in stores. We work and spend, work and spend, only to find ourselves deeper in debt at the end of the day. I am not trying to make the point that earning a living is bad, or that buying some things is wrong. The point is that many of us want more than we need and spend more than we make. This is not the way to become rich.
In the second letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” The Bible tells us that the collection of material possessions is not the way to truly become rich. Jesus, the Son of God, and the King of Kings showed us that if we truly want to become rich, we would make investments into the lives of other people. If we want true fulfillment in our lives here on earth, we will give ourselves away.
Jesus could have claimed all the riches in this world. He could have ruled this planet as King. Instead, He lived as a servant. He spent His time giving what He had to the poor and helpless around Him and, finally, He gave His life away for all the people in this world. Now, over two thousand years later, our world is still benefiting from what He gave. Because of His sacrifice, we all have life. When I think of how Jesus changed the world, because He gave himself away, I wonder how much better we would all be if we did the same.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
