Isaiah 61:3

"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."

I'm sure we have all heard the term beauty for ashes. What I don't know is if we truly understand what it means. The literal meaning of the Hebrew word is an ornament, tiara, or turban. Another word could be a crown. That's what God has done for us. By sending His son to die on the cross, he exchanged His beauty for the ashes of our broken lives. I personally have had quite a bonfire of a life before and sadly after I got saved. Before I didn't care or think about the consequences of my choices or actions. After, I became aware and realized how stupid I still am at times. To think, we who gave our lives to Christ are still making bad choices, baffles me. We have the imputed righteousness of Christ and sadly, we take it for granted. He took my ashes and gave me a crown. A crown of life. I/we are His. This whole passage in Isaiah is amazing. It tells of what God was going to do for the nation of Israel. More importantly, the amazing thing is, His promises are for us as well. I am not going to make this a long devotional this week. I just want it to sink in that what we have received at His expense, is more than we could ever imagine. I want people to know that if you are in a bad place and feel all burned up, your ashes of a broken life are redeemable for something more beautiful than can be described. Is it always easy being a Christian? No. Do I always act like one? No. I can tell you this though. In those times of trouble or despair, I can turn to the one who loves me, and will always be there for me. Even when I bring an offering of ashes that are worthless, He still See's me as worth it. Why? Unconditional love. I will never understand it fully, but I accept it and am thankful. Be blessed this week.

Bob.