From Rags to Royalty

One day a beggar saw a proclamation posted on the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner to honor his son. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited. The beggar looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families had royal garments.

An idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. The beggar approached the guard at the gate saying, "Please, sire, may I speak to the king."

"Wait here," the guard replied.

In a few minutes, he returned. "His majesty will see you," he said, and led the beggar in.

"You wish to see me?" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty. I would like to attend the banquet honoring your son but I have no royal robes. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one of your old garments so that I may attend the banquet?"

"You have been wise in asking me," the king replied. He called to his son requesting, "Take this man to your room and dress him in some of your clothes."

The prince did and soon the beggar was clothed in royal garments that he had never dared dream or hope for.

"You are eligible to attend my father's banquet tomorrow,"

said the prince. "But even more important, you will never need any other garments. These will last forever."

"Oh, thank you," cried the beggar dropping to his knees. As he started to leave, he looked back at his former clothes, a pile of dirty rags on the floor. He quickly gathered them up.

The banquet was greater than he had imagined, but he did not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his rags and it kept falling off his lap. As the food was passed around the beggar missed some of the feast's delicacies.

Time however proved the prince right. The clothes given him by the prince lasted forever.

As time passed people took note of the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to rather then the royal robes he was wearing. They spoke of him as the old rag man.

Three red marbles

By W. E. Petersen

One day as he lay dying, the king came to visit him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king's face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. He remembered the prince's words and he wept bitterly at his folly and confessed that not leaving behind his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty.

In compassion the king wept with him.

Each of us has been invited into God's royal family. To feast at God's table and all we have to do is shed our old rags and put on the "garments" of faith provided by God's Son, Jesus.

We must not hold onto our old rags. When we put our faith in Christ, we must leave behind the sin in our life and our old ways of living. Sin, the rags of unrighteousness, must be discarded if we are to experience the royal and abundant life in Christ. Jesus is the believer's robe of righteousness.

Are you holding onto sin that others may see as dirty old rags?

If so, it's time to put them it into life's dumpster and walk in the royal garments given you by the King's Son.

One day Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?"

"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas ... sure look good."

"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"

"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."

"Good. Anything I can help you with?"

"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."

"Would you like to take some home?"

"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."

"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"

"All I got's my prize marble here."

"Is that right? Let me see it."

"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."

"I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"

"Not zackley ... but almost."

"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble."

"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps."

I left the stand smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering.

Several years went by, each more rapid that the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them.

Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... all very professional looking.

They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size ... they came to pay their debt."

"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho." With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband.

Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles. "...love one another; as I have loved you.... By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35