With a private fortune estimated at... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2024

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

With a private fortune estimated at $20 billion, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is considered the second richest monarch and one of the richest men in the world. As head of state of Brunei on the island of Borneo, he resides in the largest palace on earth with 1,800 rooms and a living space of 200,000 square metres.

The sultan owns numerous properties around the world, several of them in England. Once he bought a house in Surrey, sight unseen. On his first trip to this property, he followed a vehicle that was supposed to take him to his destination. But the Sultan lost sight of it and drove aimlessly for two and a half hours. He then came to the conclusion that owning a house that was so hard to find was not worthwhile and sold it again without further ado.

A completely different, an immeasurable and eternal wealth, was available to the Son of God in the glory of heaven. And with this wealth He did not act like the great ones of this world, but He voluntarily became poor in order to be able to save us from our spiritual poverty and hopelessness. Jesus Christ took upon Himself extreme poverty when He became man and died on the cross for us. Only boundless love and grace could be the motivation for this step!

The Son of God wants to share His riches with us in the glory of heaven. His atoning sacrifice on the cross is the basis for this. Now everyone is called to actually claim this wealth for himself by turning to God and believing in Jesus Christ. No one will ever regret this step.

Today’s reading: Ezekiel 38:1-23 · Psalms 139:1-12