Empty Pockets, Overflowing Hearts (2 Corinthians 8:9)
- Dustin Crowe
- Oct 17, 2015
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 17
[For] you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. —2 Corinthians 8:9
A few verses before our passage, Paul combines two seemingly opposed descriptions. The believers in Macedonia live in “extreme poverty” and yet they have an abundance of joy. Their pockets and houses might be empty but their hearts are overflowing.
This is possible only when our heart’s happiness isn’t gauged by our worldly assets but by our blessings in Christ. Paul used the Macedonians as an example of how every personal lack is eclipsed by God’s provision. As he continues down this line of thought, he leads us into an even greater argument in verse 9. What the church in Corinth possesses can’t be seen with physical eyes but must be envisioned with the eyes of faith: the eternal Son of God who is the joy of heaven, who reigns and rules all things here below, and who owns and oversees every resource in both realms, is their supreme treasure and the Lord overseeing their resources.
We are helped by drinking deeply of a theological diet rich in the glory of Jesus as King and equally rich in the grace that drove Him to give up such glory to rescue us. We must fill our minds with lofty biblical thoughts of Jesus as the Son of God from whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. And then we must fill our minds with equally amazing thoughts of Jesus as the God man who loves His people enough to not only take on their flesh but also to take on their sin. We must follow Paul’s example in fixing our gaze on what belongs to us in Christ.
When we remember Jesus is ours and we are His, then we have a hope more secure than our bank account and well-laid plans. If Jesus is an endless storehouse for all wisdom, love, and grace then there has to be more rest in him than in vacations and weekends off. When we tally our treasures, not by earthly resources, but by the presence and promises of God to us, then we will be caught up in joy. This is how it's possible for believers to be in “extreme poverty” and yet overflow with joy (8:2). It’s how we are made rich in him who became poor (8:9). When confronted by our weakness and lack, these truths will remind us that in Christ, we lack nothing. If you are united with God's Son, then you have everything you do need and will need in and through Christ.
For Reflection
What seems missing, lacking, or empty in your life?
What do you have in Christ that will supply or supersede what’s lacking?
How has God faithfully provided through his presence or provision throughout your life?
