A JEWEL IN HIS CROWN

     

His storehouses were full to overflowing with everything necessary to make life in His Kingdom perfect for Him and all those who dwelled there. He would hold back nothing from His people for He loved them so.

In His Kingdom He asked but one thing of His people ~

"Will you let me love you and care for you all your days?"

With this request the King gave full freedom to His people to accept His offer of love and provision ~ or not. He knew it was risky to give such freedom but if they let Him love them because they had to He was certain no one, including Himself, would be happy living life that way.

Surprisingly, the King found Himself without a Kingdom for every one of His beloved subjects had chosen to reject His love and walk away from His Kingdom forever into exile.

 

... I heard a knock at my door yet opened it to find no one.

Although it was night, I was nearly blinded by the radiant light shed by the gift left on my doorstep. It was a gloriously white garment and resting upon it was a brilliant jewel, neither of which I had ever seen or heard of anywhere in the world. I looked down at what I was wearing and suddenly felt quite stained and dirty so I eagerly slipped on this new garment only to discover a perfect fit. It was as if this was all I would ever have to wear! I couldn't get it dirty; the fabric wouldn't tear; it kept me warm when I was cold and cool when I was hot. Feeling so completely protected with the garment on I decided then I would never take it off. I then gazed at the indescribable beauty of the jewel and wondered who would give to me these most precious gifts. Most certainly it was someone who knew me and loved me. I had to find out!

I noticed a blood stain on the door where my unknown friend had knocked and a trail of blood leading from my doorstep but strangely the blood screamed LIFE, not death to me. Without a thought I stopped what I was doing and set out to follow this trail in hopes of finding the one who had done this great kindness to me.

My journey down the trail, whether night or day, was illuminated by the brightness of my new garment. I clutched the jewel in my right hand and looking down I followed, step by step, each drop of blood as they guided me down this path of life.

I found myself at every door of every person everywhere knowing that my friend had given to each one the   same gift given me. Who would have such an endless treasure and who would possibly just give it away? Much  to my amazement I  realized that not everyone appreciated the value of these gifts. Some of the gifts ~ stepped on, trampled and dirty ~ their original radiance and beauty beginning to diminish due to total disregard ~ remained on the doorsteps where my friend had left them. I remembered I couldn't get my garment dirty and decided the garment had to be worn for its mysterious qualities to be unleashed.

I looked up from time to time to see something so shocking I could scarcely believe it. Some people had picked up their gift but instead of trying on the garment and cherishing the jewel they ran to the market to sell them! Imagine this if you will, a gift of priceless worth ~ LIFE ~ traded for but a few pennies.

I knew this friend of mine must be full of a love so deep and so endless because as I continued down the path

I found I had returned to the doors where the gift had been disregarded or sold the day before and replaced the old gift with a new one.

I started to meet others along the way. They were looking for my friend too. Together we discussed how this gift had changed our lives from the inside out. We owed our friend so much; we owed him our lives.

  We decided the only way to find him was to stay on the path;

  to follow the life-giving drops of  blood for as far as they went

even if they took us to the very ends of the  earth.

Time started to pass as if time did not exist and our group in search of our friend grew continuously. We all found that as long as we stayed wholly devoted to our search and did not stray from the path
~ to the left or to the right ~
we did not hunger nor did we thirst.
We had everything we needed to live this new life in victory.

The path led us to a hill and on that hill was a cross. Somehow we all knew we were nearing the end of our journey. We also knew that the cross presented a question we all had to ask ourselves ~ "am I willing to give all I now have, gift and all, in order to finally find and meet this great friend I had been long in search of?"

Some decided no, turned and walked away; the radiance of their garments dimming and their jewels turning to coal with every step.

There were many, however, who decided yes and continued on. Knowing full well what had to be done, one by one we climbed that cross and shed our blood ~ full of death ~ so our friend's blood could replace our own and give to us the LIFE which had screamed to me when first I saw it outside my door.

As our blood drained from our bodies we felt the agony of death yet at the same time were comforted in knowing that our friend had been here first

~ the sacrifice was his.

Just as death was realized we felt life overcome us as his blood flowed through us. The moment we were filled with new life we knew in our deepest parts that this life was really love ~ the purest love the world has ever known.

The power of this love carried us from the cross directly into the presence of our friend where we finally met him face to face.

With our garments as radiant as the day they were given to us and our precious jewels in hand we could do nothing but fall at his feet and praise and thank him for all he had done and for every step of our journey to find him.

 

 One by one, His people carried their jewels to Him
and placed them back in His crown from whence they came,
for as many as there were people with jewels
a place had been prepared for them on His royal crown
~ none too many and none too few. Somehow He knew...

 

2/14/96
XXXO

"And the LORD their God will save them in that day As the flock of His people; For they are as the stones of a crown, Sparkling in His land." Zechariah 9:16 NAS

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20 NAS

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