Shah Abbis, a Persian monarch loved his people very much. In order to get to know and understand them better, he mingled with his subjects in various disguises.
One day, dressed as a very poor man, he went to the public baths. There he found, in a tiny cellar, a man who tended the furnace. Shah Abbis sat with him. When it was mealtime the monarch shared his course food and talked with the lonely subject as with a friend. Again and again he visited and the poor old man began to love his new friend and eagerly waited his visits.
One day the Shah told him he was in reality the monarch and invited the man to ask some gift from him. But the fireman shook his head and sat gazing at his ruler with love and wonder. At last he spoke:
“You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this dark place.
You ate of my course food. You cared whether my heart was heavy or glad.
You may bestow gifts on others, but you have given me YOURSELF.
Now it only remains for me to pray
that you will NEVER WITHDRAW the gift of your friendship.”
This beautiful, reportedly true story reminds us that the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, left the glories of heaven in order to share Himself with us. He not only spent days with us, returning to his kingly glory at night, as did Shah Abbis, but Jesus cut Himself off from the actual presence of His Father and all the glories of His eternal home. He actually became one of us.
Jesus also went further. Jesus was born to die.
He willingly determined to complete the work He came to earth to do. He orchestrated all that led to Calvary. He suffered complete and absolute separation from His Father when all His Father’s wrath was poured upon Him as He bore the load of the sin of the world.
W
hat a triumphant cry heralded the completion of the task of bearing the penalty for our sin: of securing our redemption! “It is finished!” was a shout of victory. In the Greek, the word “Tetelestai” means “it is finished, and having been completed, it is forever done: rounded off to perfection.”
At this Christmas time, as we see the bright Christmas trees, may our thoughts return to that other tree: the tree where Jesus TOOK our sin and GAVE us His righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus CHOSE to give Himself for us.
How much do we value that Gift?
Christmas greetings to all. May you and yours have a happy and holy Christmas and a happy and safe holiday.
etv2020
Roland Ledoux
ין חנה
Karen
ptl2010
rickroehm
setyourpathsstraight
Steve Sawyer
wayneman
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ChristianBlessings 
What a blessing it is to come to an understanding that God Himself came as a man to a sinful fallen earth for each one of His people. Oh how we owe Him everything for His many great sacrifices for us! May the Lord bless you and Myles during this Christmas holiday.
Thanks Rob and a very special thank you for all your many contributions throughout this year. I don’t know how you do it. I’m flat out trying to catch up and can’t even keep to my hope of posting once a week!
Rob, I pray you and yours have a very enjoyable and restful break and look forward to learning more from you when you return (if our Jesus doesn’t return beforehand)
We are one day closer!
Cloudwatcher, thank you for your faithhful contributions here on ChristianBlesings this year.
May ay Christmas joy fill you and your family as we await the fulfillment of His second coming just as his first coming came to pass as His Word had declared:
In these the closing days of time
What joy the glorious Hope affords
That soon O wondrous truth sublime,
He shall reign King of kings and Lord of lords!.
Praying you and your husband will have a healthy year in body, soul and mind in 2013, with His blessings anew every morning.
Evelyn
Thank you Evelyn.
I pray for you and yours a happy and much-blessed time as we remember with great joy the coming of our Saviour as first promised to Adam and Eve and reiterated many times to others.
One day soon we will thank Him in person for His great salvation, but until then we ‘occupy til He comes’ and thank Him for every opportunity He gives to lift Him up and shine Him forth so that He can draw others to Himself.
May the year ahead (if He doesn’t come beforehand) give many more opportunities and may He reach many through ChristianBlessings and the contributors here.
Happy Christmas
Angela
Happy Christmas to you and your family. The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus has changed the world and each one of us. Amazing!
Thanks admin and ‘happy Christmas’ to you and yours.
We are indeed blessed to know, love and serve the risen Lord Jesus who is coming again. We are one day closer!
Thank you for this post. May you too have a very happy, healthy, and holy Christmas in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you angel. May Christ be exalted in all we do.
How’d you get the pics uploaded? You got it working? What was the problem?
No Lyn. It still doesn’t work. I used IE which takes about four times as long and is cumbersome by comparison, but at least it allows me to upload media. I’m still using Firefox for everything else without any hassles.