From Riches to Rags
The land of Persia was once ruled by a wise and beloved
Shah who cared greatly for his people and desired only what
was best for them. One day he disguised himself as a poor
man and went to visit the public baths. The water for the
baths was heated by a furnace in the cellar, so the Shah
made his way to the dark place to sit with the man who
tended the fire. The two men shared the coarse food, and the
Shah befriended him in his loneliness. Day after day the
ruler went to visit the man. Â The worker became attached to
this stranger because " he came where he was". One day the
Shah revealed his true identity, and he expected the man to
ask him for a GIFT. Instead, he looked long into his
leader's face and with love and wonder in his voice said,
"You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this
dark place, to eat my coarse food, and to care about what
happens to me. On others you may bestow rich GIFTS, but to
ME you have given YOURSELF!"
There is an even GREATER King - The King of kings - 'who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking
the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness"
(Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus, the Son of God, left His
heavenly palace to come and sit with us, to share OUR human
existence, to experience life as WE know it, to show us that
He cares.
But then, the King of kings condescended to a far greater
depth than that beloved Shah: "And being found in appearance
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to DEATH --
even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:8). Jesus understood
that our greatest problem is SIN. Â He looked past our many
FAILURES and saw our great NEED! And as His body hung there
upon that cross, He lovingly paid sin's HIGH price so that
we might be forgiven. He didn't just give OF Â Himself; He
gave HIMSELF Â for us! "He gave Himself for our sins to
rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will
of our God and Father" (Galatians 1:4).
When Jesus laid aside His royal garments and clothed Himself
in human flesh, He became what WE ARE so that we might
become what HE IS: a child of God.
To become a child of God you must be born again! Â You
experience the new birth when you: place your faith in Jesus
(Acts 16:31), repent of your sins (Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) in order
to have our sins washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Â Once you
become a child of God.... if you will CONTINUE to walk in
the light of God's Word, the blood of Jesus will CONTINUE to
wash away your sins (1 John 1:7).
He who resides in Heaven, co-equal and co-eternal with the
Father, willingly descended into OUR world. He became one of
us! Â He breathed our air, felt our pain, knew our sorrows,
and died for our sins. He was Immanuel -" GOD WITH US" - so
that we might be with Him for an eternity...
"Out of the ivory palaces, into a world of woe. ONLY His
great eternal love, made my Savior go." (Harry Barraclough)
Will YOU trust Him and obey Him?
God bless you.
David A. Sargent, Minister
creekwood@comcast.net
Church of Christ at Creekwood 1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695 Â