Beauty for Ashes
Have you ever wasted something? Maybe you have wasted an item you did not want or maybe you have wasted some time. I'm sure all of us have; however, some have wasted lives. And I'm talking about lives that have been non-glorifying to God. We've all had those days that were wasted...and do you ever feel guilty for wasting your time? Well, let me share a passage of Scripture that has literally become one of my favorite passages here lately. It's in Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 61... It reads.."The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations."
Now maybe you see why I was talking about wasting. You see this passage explains that God wants to fix your breaking heart, free those of you who are being held captive of the enemy, and open up the door to those of you who are in chains. Maybe it's chains in your thought life, chains in your relationships, or maybe you are chained to sin because you have never accepted and asked Jesus to free you and save you. God wants to give you beauty for your ashes, He wants to make beautiful what you have ruined, He wants to help you exchange heaviness for praises, and He wants to call you a tree of righteousness! WOW! And here is just the most beautiful part....He wants to build back up what you have wasted. He wants to repair you....and He can even repair things that have been going on for generations... This is a beautiful passage and beautiful picture of who God is and what He wants to do..
Verse 2 talks about the day of vengeance of our God...that's when it is too late to do anything about being chained to sin... if you are unsure if you have been freed from your debt of sin...would you please continue reading below before it is too late to accept His payment for your sin....
1. Realize that God loves you
John 3:16-"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
2. Realize that you are a sinner. Sins are anything that you do that is wrong, examples are lying, lusting, being jealous, etc.
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
3. Know that you are a lost sinner. Realize that you need Jesus to get to Heaven. Nothing you do is good enough. Sin must be paid for, but Jesus paid the price for sin.
Romans 6:23- "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (You must accept that gift)
4. Believe that God sent Jesus, His Son, into the world, and believe that He died on a cross to take the punishment for your sins and then rose from the dead 3 days later.
Romans 5:8- "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Matthew 28:6-"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
5. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, and ask Him to enter into your life and save you.
Romans 10:9-10- "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Acts 2:21-"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
If you do that or have done that already, you are a child of God and you have begun your journey of following God's plan for your life.
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations."
Now maybe you see why I was talking about wasting. You see this passage explains that God wants to fix your breaking heart, free those of you who are being held captive of the enemy, and open up the door to those of you who are in chains. Maybe it's chains in your thought life, chains in your relationships, or maybe you are chained to sin because you have never accepted and asked Jesus to free you and save you. God wants to give you beauty for your ashes, He wants to make beautiful what you have ruined, He wants to help you exchange heaviness for praises, and He wants to call you a tree of righteousness! WOW! And here is just the most beautiful part....He wants to build back up what you have wasted. He wants to repair you....and He can even repair things that have been going on for generations... This is a beautiful passage and beautiful picture of who God is and what He wants to do..
Verse 2 talks about the day of vengeance of our God...that's when it is too late to do anything about being chained to sin... if you are unsure if you have been freed from your debt of sin...would you please continue reading below before it is too late to accept His payment for your sin....
1. Realize that God loves you
John 3:16-"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
2. Realize that you are a sinner. Sins are anything that you do that is wrong, examples are lying, lusting, being jealous, etc.
Romans 3:23- "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
3. Know that you are a lost sinner. Realize that you need Jesus to get to Heaven. Nothing you do is good enough. Sin must be paid for, but Jesus paid the price for sin.
Romans 6:23- "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (You must accept that gift)
4. Believe that God sent Jesus, His Son, into the world, and believe that He died on a cross to take the punishment for your sins and then rose from the dead 3 days later.
Romans 5:8- "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Matthew 28:6-"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
5. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, and ask Him to enter into your life and save you.
Romans 10:9-10- "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Acts 2:21-"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
If you do that or have done that already, you are a child of God and you have begun your journey of following God's plan for your life.
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