As I type this devotional, the Powerball Lottery grand prize is 1.2 billion dollars! By any imaginable standard, the winner of that lottery will be rich. And yet an abundance of research shows that people who win the lottery usually end up less happy, more relationally strained, and significantly disconnected from the people and things that once brought them joy.
Jesus had it all. We read in the Bible that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills…a metaphor for the fact that everything we see and everything we have IN THE WHOLE WORLD is His.
This powerful verse in 2 Corinthians says that He gave up everything in order to be a living sacrifice for us. Sacrifice (giving up something meaningful to us for the sake of someone else) is a hard thing for us to do. We like to give when we have extra, not when it actually costs us something like our time, energy, or finances.
But Jesus gave it ALL up – His position, His power, and His life – as a sacrifice for us. It may seem contradictory, but the joy that comes from giving everything up for the benefit of someone else is unimaginable. The joy of His sacrifice leading to our eternal life is incredible. The joy of His demise leading to the redemption of His children is unparalleled. We are rich beyond any lottery winnings. We have been given the love of a heavenly Father, the blessings of family and friends, and the assurance of eternal life with God.