“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ 

“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 

Have you stopped to consider what Jesus gave up to come into the world? He gave up all the glory and all the riches of Heaven. When He was born, He was laid in a manger. Then some of His first visitors were shepherds. The King of kings and Lord of lords was placed in a feeding trough for animals rather than a nice, pretty, luxurious baby bed. The first visitors were not the elite people from high society but people who did not have a reputation for being upstanding members of society. His birth wasn’t surrounded by all the decorations and lights we associate with Christmas. It was simple. It was a baby born into poverty.

We don’t like to think about the poverty of Jesus. We prefer to think of His glory and majesty. When we stop to consider what He left in Heaven to come into a life of poverty for our sake, it should lead us to celebrate all the more. Jesus gave up everything glorious to come into this sin ridden world and live in poverty so He could be the sacrifice for our sins. After His humble birth, poor life, and horrific death, He rose again to life and is now in Heaven with all the riches and glory. One day He will return and will reign as the eternal King in all His glory. 

His lowly birth provided the glorious gift of salvation that allows us to become rich with Him when we accept His free gift. Because Jesus gave up the riches of Heaven, we can experience the rags to riches life which is the greatest Christmas gift of all. Our minds cannot fully grasp the greatness of it, and there are no sufficient words to describe it, but oh how thankful we should be at the celebration of His birth which brought the glorious gift of salvation. “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬