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.  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.  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  Himself; He gave HIMSELF  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!  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).  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!  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 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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