The Grace That Condescends

The Grace That Condescends

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

II Corinthians 8:9

It is most difficult for those who occupy highly exalted positions to identify with the lowly. To have real empathy, that enables that highly exalted one, to humble themselves and assume the beggar’s cloak, requires exceptional grace. This is a rare gem of the first water.  So rare, indeed, that we find it on very few occasions in humanity, and even in Christianity. As in all other virtues, Christ shows us the way by His example. Our text for the next few days begins, ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ How do we know it generally? We know it from the Scriptures. There we see Christ, in His pre-incarnate Glory, sitting upon His Throne, as Isaiah saw him, receiving the worship of angels, seated in the Temple in glorious Splendor. This enables us to see clearly the height of His exalted position. By contrast, as we look to the Gospels, we are able to clearly see the depths of His humiliation, in that He humbles Himself, ‘being born, and that in a low estate.’ His arrival is meek and without great fanfare, except for the revelation to a few shepherds on an obscure hillside. He assumes the form of a peasant child. He attracts no attention unto Himself. What an astounding evidence of grace. If we are to understand the fullness and the richness of the Person and Work of Christ, we must contemplate the grace that He has evidenced in stepping down from such a great height to assume such a lowly position. Here is Amazing Grace in the most amazing of Persons.

Our Gracious and Loving Savior,
we praise You that You condescend to us in our low estate.
We rejoice that You meet us where we are,
in order to raise us up to where You are.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning