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The
Indescribable Gift
A
documentary on the History Channel called it, “The
World’s Most Extravagant Gift.” *
The documentary featured the Taj
Mahal.
The
Taj Mahal, the “
Crown
Palace
,” was built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in
1631 in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The emperor kept his promise to build his wife
a beautiful mausoleum to house her body.
The English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, described
it as: "Not
a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but
the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in
living stones."
Most
people instantly recognize pictures of the huge white
marble terrace on which rests the famous marble dome
that stands 240 ft. high, flanked by four minarets.
Within the dome lie the jewel-inlaid cenotaphs (empty
caskets) of the emperor and the queen, their bodies
buried beneath these exquisite memorials.
Construction
of the architectural wonder took 22 years to complete
and involved twenty thousand laborers.
Materials for the monument were brought in from
all over
India
and central
Asia
upon the backs of 1,000 elephants.
According to the History Channel segment, the
price of building the Taj Mahal would top $7 million
in today’s currency.
An extravagant gift indeed!
Yet, a FAR greater
Gift has been given…
“For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16)
The
Gift of God’s Son was the greatest expression of
God’s love for you and me (1 John 4:9-10).
This Gift made possible our redemption from
sin: The
Apostle Peter reminded his Christian audience: “You
were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver
or gold, from your aimless conduct received by
tradition from your fathers, but with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
This Gift gives assurance of living
eternally in a place whose beauty FAR exceeds that of
the Taj Mahal: a beautiful place called HEAVEN
(see Revelation 21).
The
blessings that accompany the Gift can be ours -IF-
we will accept the Gift on God’s terms.
We accept the Gift through faith
(Acts 16:30-31), repenting
of our sins (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confessing
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized
in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins (Acts
2:38). The
blessings of the Gift CONTINUE to be ours as long as
we CONTINUE to walk in the light of His Word (1 John
1:7).
“Thanks
be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2
Corinthians 9:15) – NOT the beautiful Taj Mahal,
but the Incomparable Son of God!
Won’t
you
accept the Gift on His terms?
David A.
Sargent, Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
*
“The Most: Taj Mahal.”
The History Channel website.
http://www.history.com/media.do?id=most_taj_mahal_broadband&action=clip
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