|
    
  
FROM THE ROYAL BOUNTY
During the reign of Solomon
over Israel as king, his wisdom enabled him to lead that
nation to greater heights in peace than either David or
Saul had done in battle. He gained world renown for his
knowledge and for the riches and beauty of the buildings
he erected.
Meanwhile, down in Africa, there ruled a queen
who had become legendary for her beauty and for the
riches of her kingdom. The Bible simply calls her, the
Queen of Sheba. She too, learned of the reputation of
the King of Israel. The tenth chapter
of 1st Kings gives the record of her visit to pay
tribute to him. She came with rich gifts ,but she
brought requests also. She did not go away disappointed
in either the things she saw, the things she learned,
nor in the fulness of the gifts she received from him.
1 Ki 10:13 And king Solomon gave unto the
queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked,
beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty.
These words serve to remind us of God's
goodness toward his creatures and His special goodness
to those who have received Christ as their savior.
From The Royal Bounty
The blessings from the royal bounty,
far beyond our wildest dreams,
flow, by Grace unmeasured
like a sparkling mountain stream.
We ask for strength to bear a burden.
He gives us strength to lift a friend.
We ask for grace to bear a sorrow.
He gives peace that will never end.
We ask just one opportunity,
just one task to win his praise.
He opens wide the Royal Bounty,
lets us serve Him all our days.
We come to Him, unworthy creatures,
stained by sin, lost, undone
then from the riches of His bounty
we hear the words. "Welcome. son."
When we come in simple asking
seeking only daily bread,
it seems he opens Heaven's windows
and the Royal bounty's ours instead!
fcc
Man seldom stops to think of the abundant goodness of
God. How long has it been since you praised Him for the
royal bounty of creation? How drab this world would be
if God had provided only those things absolutely
necessary for our existence. The trees and plants which
he has provided are marvelous provisions for food,
clothing and housing. On top of their providing our
needs they also have beauty and fragrance. The birds
have their place in the overall scheme of nature as well
as providing food for man. Isn't it marvelous that the
King has provided, from his Royal Bounty, the beauty of
their plumage and the sound of their songs?
In the very food which sustains us, we
receive of the king's bounty. Our bodies could
be sustained by nourishment without our receiving any
pleasure at all. Out of His Royal Bounty he has given us
the sense of smell. Bread would be just as nourishing if
we could never smell it baking. The calories and all the
food value could do its work if we never tasted the
flavor of it. What a wonderful bounty to our very
existence is the pleasure of smell and taste!
A certain social life is necessary for the
continuation and orderly progress of the human race.
Then, from the royal bounty of the King comes the
emotion of love, which makes our contact with family and
friends not just another essential, but a treasured
experience.
This bounty isn't confined to
our physical life. In the realm of the spirit, the
bounty is even greater. Consider, for instance, man's
instinctive desire to worship. Leave him alone and he
will prostrate himself before any number of lifeless
idols. However, as he approaches the true and living
God, he sees the way opened, not for prostration before
a distant god, but out of the Royal Bounty His divine
love opens the way for fellowship. This relationship
with God moved John to express it thus,
"Behold! What manner of love the Father has bestowed
upon us that we should be called the sons of God!
Among all the religions devised by man, none has
ever dared to suggest such a thing. The worship of other
gods always demands humiliating rites, while those who
come to God through Jesus Christ can sing. 'I'm a child
of the King!' What a great honor he would bestow upon us
to merely accept our service and our gifts. In fact it
would truly be 'Amazing Grace' should he receive
anything from our unworthy hands, but as we come,
pleading acceptance of our offerings, He opens wide the
Royal Bounty and says, "Let's be partners". This is what
Jesus had in mind as he spoke.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The Apostle Paul had signed on in this partnership
and was able to say,
1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye
are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
If one would enjoy such a relationship with God,
he must learn that God does not consent to becoming a
junior partner in OUR picayunish affairs, but invites us
to get in the harness with Jesus in the Grand business
of bringing souls to Him.
Another example of his royal bounty, is found in
the accounts of those who came to Jesus in the New
Testament, seeking relief from physical distress and
went away with sins forgiven. Our God does nothing in
halfway measures. When he bore our sins in his own body
on the tree, he bore ALL our sins. When He died for the
sins of the world, He died for the sins of ALL the
world, leaving out no one. When we come to Him in
repentance asking forgiveness he saves us TO THE
UTTERMOST! He reaches into the lowest depths of sin and
despair and places us in the heights of the glory of His
promises, even to making us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus [Eph.2:6
And has raised us up together, and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.]
As Jesus hung on the cross, one of the two
thieves made a simple request: to be remembered by the
Lord. He seemed to have a fear which is common to man,
that of not even being remembered after this life.
Certainly such a man as this had left behind no worthy
monuments or great works which might cause men to speak
his name in fond remembrance. He was a thief who
admitted to being deserving of the punishment he was
receiving. He knew he was not worthy of even being
remembered, but the prayer goes forth from the depths of
his penitent heart, [Lord, when you
come into the kingdom of which your superscription
speaks, will you just remember the thief who shared this
hour with you?" Immediately, the Royal Bounty is opened
and the gracious words are spoken, which still thrills
unworthy hearts; 'Today wilt thou be with
me in Paradise.".
On one occasion, the disciples had fished all
night and had caught nothing. All they really wanted was
to catch a few fish. Then along came the Master.
"Cast your nets on the other side." "But Lord, we've
fished all night and taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy
word we will."
They had only desired a few fish, but they got
their nets full. When they came to shore, they even
found one already cooking on the fire! The Royal Bounty
didn't end even there. They were soon to learn the
thrill and joy of fishing for men.
Perhaps we set our sights too low. If we are to
receive of the Royal bounty, then why not set our goals
higher so that when we achieve our desires, the Bounty
will be even greater.
Sometimes men may come seeking relief from the
hopelessness of the hour, but receives hope that fadeth
not away. Consider the woman who had been taken,
according to those who came dragging her through the
streets, in the very act of adultery. What hope could
she possibly have? She knew she was guilty and according
to the Law of Moses, deserved to be stoned. If only she
might be spared the agony of such a death! She knows she
has no right to expect such mercy. Think of her great
joy as the King lifts her to her feet. The Royal Bounty
is opened. Not one stone has bruised her body, but the
bounty is even greater, as the words fall upon her ears,
"Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more."
Look around you and see those who seek some
purpose in life to make their existence meaningful and
bearable. They run after this cause and that. They throw
themselves into various passing efforts, because life
without a purpose seems unbearably boring. Only when one
comes to the King, do they find the real answer to their
desires. He opens His Bounty and says, "I
am come that you might have life and have it more
abundantly."
There is plenty of incentive for getting up in
the morning, if one is going to spend the day walking
through it with the King! What a glorious bounty is
ours! If we but kneel before him in obedience, He says,
"be my hands in service." "Allow us to praise you with
our voice" might be our request and he answers, "Be
witness of me to the whole world". Come to Him asking
for one job to do and he offers instead an entire
lifetime of service.
Man, in his search for truth might have asked for
someone to teach him ABOUT God, but what would it have
accomplished, had he learned all the facts about God's
eternal timeless existence, and his holiness and
omnipotence, and yet had no idea how to reach Him? In
this case, Jesus IS the Royal Bounty! John
1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Christ did far more than show us God's Glory,
and how God intended man to live. He is the WAY into the
Father. In every other field of knowledge, man must
search diligently for the answers to some of the most
perplexing problems, yet in the field of our
relationship with God, we have one who does more than
point the way. Instead he says, "I am the
way".
Men are willing to spend their wealth and their
time and energy searching for a way to live a little
longer in this frail, burdensome body. Millions are
spent each year searching for cures for the ailments
which shorten our lives. The cost of medical care
doubles then redoubles and the undertakers still reap
the final benefits. When man reaches the end of his life
span, all his knowledge and wealth can't prolong his
stay on this earth. Here we see the great Bounty from
our King!
Phil 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it
may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according
to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all
things unto himself.
Praise God, He offers us not a few more hours of
miserable existence but eternity in a new and glorified
body!
Now to return to the verse which was our text;
1 Kings 10:13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen
of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside
that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she
turned and went to her own country, she and her
servants.
The question now to be faced is; What do YOU
want from the Lord? God has made us a promise,
Psa 81:10 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee
out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I
will fill it.
Often our desires are too narrow. We yearn for
those things which can endure for but a short season,
when we should be thinking on the scale of eternity.
Instead of longing for those things which will offer us
a little pleasure of doubtful value, let us ask for that
which will cause us to rejoice forevermore.
We who know Christ as savior, must learn to enlarge our
desires until it embraces all the will of God for us.
This is how Jesus taught us to pray.
'Thy will be done, in earth as it is in
heaven.' Why should we ask for the
corruptible things of the world, when the entire
storehouse of heaven can be ours?
Learn to look beyond the petty trials of this
daily life, as Paul did when he said,
"Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us."
Learn by experience, how much greater the
blessings can be, when we come in obedience to His Word,
and no longer start our prayers with, 'Give me' but say
instead say," Lord please receive from your unworthy
servant, the gifts and service he brings." It is when we
do this, that he 'lifts us up to sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus'.
For those who are lost. You only need to come to
him seeking the forgiveness of your sins. He will open
wide the Royal Bounty and give you ever so much more
than you ask. In addition to the forgiveness of sins, He
will give you the assurance of eternal life. He will
provide for you a mediator so that you might come
without fear to the throne of Grace to find help in time
of need. He will provide you an intercessor in the
person of the Crucified, glorified and risen and exalted
Christ. He will even provide you a helper for your
prayer life.
He has promised that the Holy Spirit will make
'intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered' . These are only the beginning,
for the blessings to be had are without number. First,
however you MUST come seeking forgiveness. Jesus said
you MUST be born again. |
|
|
