GPS-Beauty for Ashes

SEP 21 / Sunday Read Isaiah 61:3 / Galatians 1:13-16a / Acts 9:10-21

Overview: Our world may be in ashes and our lives may be in ruins, but God transforms our situations (and ourselves) into things of beauty, all made possible through Christ. It’s a beautiful thing.

22 / Mon – Ashes are inevitable  |  Read Isaiah 61:1-3 / Revelation 21:4

Ashes are what is left after a fire. If they are from a campfire you’ve had with friends and s’mores, they leave warm memories. But if they are the remains of a person’s home, they bring grief. In the Old Testament days, throwing ashes on your head was an outward symbol that you were in deep mourning. How can anything beautiful come from the ashes? The Lord promises He can and will do so. Have you experienced this in the past? Let it give you hope in the present.

23 / Tue – In spite of…  |  Read Job 2:10-13 / Job 42:5-17

Job was known for his wealth, generosity, and a large family. Then he lost it all. His friends found him sitting in ashes and his grief was so deep they sat with him and mourned for seven days, not saying a word. It seemed so senseless, but neither they nor Job knew what was taking place behind the scenes. When you are in a similar situation, the Lord might be asking you the question… will you still love Me? Even if everything else is taken away? Maybe you are in that place now. How will you answer?

24 / Wed – Begging for mercy  |  Read Daniel 9:2-8 and 17-19

While reading scripture, Daniel realized the depths of his people’s rebellion against the Lord and he mourned with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.. He confessed the sins of his nation, agreeing that they deserved what He had allowed.  Daniel begged for mercy, not because they deserved it but because of who God is. The Lord heard and answered. Have you prayed for your nation in this way? God can make something beautiful out of the ashes you might see around you. Will you pray?

25 / Thu – Hidden treasure  |  Read Matthew 13:44

Diamonds, formed by intense heat and pressure, are spewed out of volcanoes. At the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, visitors can search for natural diamonds in a large plowed field on the surface of an ancient volcanic crater. It may look like just another rock, but an experienced eye can see its rough potential. With patience and the right tools, they can turn the unimpressive rock into a beautiful gem. That is what God does with people. He sees their value. He carefully cuts and polishes until they reflect His light and beauty. How is God doing this in your life?

26 / Fri – Unusual resource  |  Read 2 Corinthians 4:17

Wood ash is more valuable than you may realize. It contains significant amounts of nutrients that, when mixed with soil, help plants thrive. Just as these ashes make your plants grow more beautiful, God takes the ashes of your broken dreams, betrayal, chronic pain, or other devastating events to make life beautiful again. How can that be? Well, He is God. Will you choose to trust Him in the midst of your pain? He is the great Healer.

27 / Sat – Cracked jars  |  Read 2 Corinthians 4:5-7

You would think valuables should be stored in a safe deposit box so they won’t be stolen. God has a different idea. He has placed His treasures in you, a common jar of clay, something that can be cracked or broken, but that is how His power is best displayed. What is the treasure that He has entrusted to you? It is the light of the knowledge of God’s glory found in the face of Christ, who rose from the ashes and grief of death to give you a forever future. It is His light that shines out of the cracks in your life. What a beautiful, beautiful thing He is doing!