Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, Ok
Feb. 17, 2012

“Kings and Queens”
“She will…present you with a crown of splendor…” – Proverbs 4:9 (NIV)

I like presents. I don’t know too many people who don’t like presents. Presents are fun—especially when you don’t know when they are coming. When your husband, wife, children, friends, whoever surprise you and present you with a gift simply because they want to—because they love you. Solomon has dedicated an incredible amount of time developing this theme of wisdom and how it impacts our lives—the meaning and power it gives to our existence. Of all the verses throughout Proverbs that describes the benefits of wisdom—I think this one has the deepest expression and the most vivid possibilities of visual expressions. First of all, think of a crown. Who wears a “crown?” The first thing that comes to mind is that of royalty. Kings and Queens. I have always been fascinated by the British monarchy and like millions of others was glued to the television set watching the “Royal” wedding between Charles and Diana. Queen Elizabeth was decked out in her royal best—the crown perched firmly on her head. You do see the problem with this scenario don’t you? Only very few can wear a crown in this illustration. And those in royal positions represent a very, very, very, very, very small percentage of the society. Not so with God! In His world—His society—anyone can have a “crown.” Call it the mark of His approval. As a “child of the King,” you are royalty and He treats us as such!
We struggle with this because, let’s face it, not many of us would qualify to be next in line for the British monarchy. How many of us would be included in the will of a billionaire? I like this verse from the book of Revelation:

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:5 NKJV)

At the time of his death in 1913, John Pierpont (J. P.) Morgan was not the richest man in the world, but his estate was valued at $80-million (close to $1.2-billion today). Compared to the wealth of some of his peers, however, his estate was not large. It was reported that John Rockefeller once said of Morgan, “And to think that he wasn’t even a rich man.” However, as one of the most influential bankers of his day, his power lay in the billions he controlled and administered.
Morgan died in 1913. When his will was executed, it was revealed that each of his children inherited $3,000,000, and all of his employees received checks equal to one year’s salary. The will consisted of about 10,000 words. I pulled up a copy of the will through the Internet. The opening paragraph began with these words:

“I, John Pierpont Morgan, of the City, County, and State of New York, do hereby make, publish and declare this my Last Will and Testament in the manner and form following, that is to say….”
At that point the wording became very interesting. Article I of the document began with this statement:

“I commit my soul into the hands of my Saviour, full of confidence that having redeemed me and washed me with His precious blood, He will present me faultless before the Throne of my Heavenly Father. I entreat my children to maintain and defend at all hazards and at all costs personally, the blessed doctrine of the complete atonement of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ once offered and through that alone.”

J.P. Morgan left no doubt as to what he considered to be the most important part of his legacy. His trust was in the saving power of the blood of Christ, not in his earthly possessions. St. Paul would have been proud. I once heard an attorney say: “Your Will is not a theological statement; it is a legal document.” He may have been right, but I applaud the thinking of a man who knew that far above the value of his estate lay the value of his eternal soul. And he wanted his children and employees to know that. May each of us learn to treasure the Atonement, and conduct our lives accordingly.
And remember—God thinks of you as one of His and that makes you royalty!
Pastor J. T. Carnell