Daily Devotional with Greg Laurie

[pixelzomblina]

A Thing of Beauty

"To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair." —Isaiah 61:3 NLT

I have been amazed at the testimonies of some people when they tell me the way they used to be. I've looked at them and thought, "There is no way they used to be that way. Jesus Christ has so radically changed them."

God promises that He "will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. . ."

For the person who has made a mess of his or her life—a pile of ashes, so to speak—God says, "I will bring beauty." For those who mourn because of the wrongs they have done and the sins they have committed, God says, "I will bring joy out of it." Only God can do that; only He can take a tangled mess of a life, turn it around, and transform it in such a way that you would not even know that individual used to be a whole different person. Paul wrote: "When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 TLB).

If you come to Christ and say, "Lord, here I am. Forgive me of my sin," He can transform and change you. God can take your mistakes and your sins, turn them around, and even use them for His glory. When you commit your life to Christ, putting the broken, stained, twisted pieces into His hand, He will transform it into a thing of beauty.

SOURCE: Daily Devotional with Greg Laurie

Comments

[fairwells]

This is so true. I was born a Roman Catholic and was educated as a Roman Catholic from K-12. Since last year I've had a revelation to become closer to God and I'm trying to re-educated myself in my Christian faith and going to Church every Sunday. I feel like my life has changed for the better. And my personal relationship with God is so important to me these days. I feel like now that I have a closer relationship to God, my life makes more sense. Thanks for sharing.

[pixelzomblina]

Thank YOU for sharing this little testimony. ;) I found it very inspiring. ♥ I hope God keeps working in your life.

[fairwells]

Your welcome and thank you for your kind words ♥ I'm glad I joined this community. God Bless you too.