“He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).
Ask anyone who the most desirable people are and the top choices will include celebrities in various professions. Being beautiful or “hot” is America’s national obsession. We spend vast resources pickling, pruning and pampering our bodies seeking the applause of admirers. Youth must be preserved at all cost. What a heavy price our souls have paid that far outweighs the damage to our purse.
Instead of believing what God says about beauty, we have embraced Satan’s lie that if we are not rich, thin and gorgeous we’re rejects. Competition is fierce; standards keep rising along with our fear of not measuring up. Drifting away from God’s love, it’s no wonder we feel like castaways stranded on an island of despair.
There’s nothing wrong with being attractive. God is not anti-beauty. While He does not advocate gluttony and abuse of our bodies, our physical appearance does not determine our value to God. Scripture tells us Jesus was average looking. It wasn’t His dazzling wardrobe and handsome face that turned heads when He walked the streets of Jerusalem. It was the brilliance of His soul; the warm inner light of God’s love that penetrated the hearts of broken people.
Unlike the world, Jesus concentrates on internal makeovers. He takes lowly sinners and transforms them into His glorious servants. Mother Teresa exemplified this. In June, 1995 I was overwhelmed by Christ’s love bursting from her as I watched her speak in Newton, MA. She was God’s princess; lovelier than any beauty queen. Her broken English prayer was more eloquent than the finest orator’s speech.
Some of the most attractive people have calloused faces but glowing hearts. God’s finger has erased the guilt lines of their sins. They are not plain or unnoticed in God’s eyes. Are you in search of eternal beauty that improves with age? Christ’s heart-lift outperforms any physician’s face-lift. Our extraordinary God specializes in making ordinary people beautiful. Give your life to Jesus who understands your struggle. You don’t need to strive to win his affection. He desires to lavish you with His love. “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).
Your fellow sojourner,
Mary
Showing posts with label April. Show all posts
Showing posts with label April. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, April 19, 2010
My Isaac Moment Nine Years Later
“Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (Genesis 22:2).
April 19, 2001 was my first Isaac moment, but it hasn’t been my last. It was on that day my four-year battle to trust God completely for something I had wished for all my life culminated in a moment of joyful surrender. This was not of my own doing. The power of the Holy Spirit brought me to that altar, kept me there in stillness, and carried me through to healing on the other side. Although my sacrifice was differed from Abraham’s, there were some parallels.
Abraham was asked to offer up his child whom he’d loved and nurtured for many years. Isaac was a living being. My offering was only a dream, the desire for a child. Abraham’s altar was high on a mountain top in the thick brush with wildlife in his midst. Mine was a cold sterile operating room surrounded by a well-trained medical team. God had promised that Abraham’s genealogy would be more numerous than all the stars he could see, or the grains of sand he could count. Better still, the Messiah would come from his bloodline; from Isaac’s descendants. There was no profound promise from God to me. Still, He wanted to bring new life through my surrender just as He did with Abraham’s. Mine sprung forth in a different way; one that I never expected. The mystery is still unfolding.
Every Christian will face at least one Isaac moment. These are times of testing and cleansing when Jesus asks us to lay before Him all those people, plans, and possessions we have clung to so dearly. Why? Is God cruel? No! He simply has to remind us that while we live in the temporal there is eternal work to be accomplished, and He gives us the privilege of joining Him in this amazing birthing process. Does this mean you or I can save another person’s soul? No! Only the Holy Spirit can do that. But what’s going on in our lives speaks volumes to those who are watching. If we praise God with tears in those hard times of surrender, the door is open for hearts to be transformed by the work the Father is doing.
To have the faith and trust in God’s provision that Abraham did as he raised his knife to slay Isaac may seem impossible. But perhaps that is because we are putting restraints on what we believe Jesus can do if only we obey His voice. Learning to walk by faith and not by sight does not come natural, but we serve a loving God who wants to help us in a supernatural way. On the other side of those Isaac moments we see the spiritual fruit of the sacrificial seeds we planted. We do not produce the harvest. We are not the creator. But what a blessing it is to be one of Christ’s seed for His glory. There is no greater joy than to welcome new believers into the family of faith, and to walk in mutual love and encouragement towards heaven.
Looking back nine years I have gained some perspective on the cost of my offering even though I do not have full understanding of the reasons behind it. God is gracious to allow this limited view. It’s all I need to know today. Who would have thought that my story would be published and Jesus would use it to draw readers closer to Him? My career goals never including authoring a book and speaking to others about God’s extravagant love that He’s longing to share with them.
How about you? What is your Isaac? Have you left it on the altar, or are you running back to snatch it off before God’s work is finished? This has often been my struggle too. Let us pray together for Jesus to increase our faith. There is so much more He wants to do through us if only we would set aside our own agendas believing His is much better. “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (Genesis 22:2).
Your fellow sojourner,
Mary
April 19, 2001 was my first Isaac moment, but it hasn’t been my last. It was on that day my four-year battle to trust God completely for something I had wished for all my life culminated in a moment of joyful surrender. This was not of my own doing. The power of the Holy Spirit brought me to that altar, kept me there in stillness, and carried me through to healing on the other side. Although my sacrifice was differed from Abraham’s, there were some parallels.
Abraham was asked to offer up his child whom he’d loved and nurtured for many years. Isaac was a living being. My offering was only a dream, the desire for a child. Abraham’s altar was high on a mountain top in the thick brush with wildlife in his midst. Mine was a cold sterile operating room surrounded by a well-trained medical team. God had promised that Abraham’s genealogy would be more numerous than all the stars he could see, or the grains of sand he could count. Better still, the Messiah would come from his bloodline; from Isaac’s descendants. There was no profound promise from God to me. Still, He wanted to bring new life through my surrender just as He did with Abraham’s. Mine sprung forth in a different way; one that I never expected. The mystery is still unfolding.
Every Christian will face at least one Isaac moment. These are times of testing and cleansing when Jesus asks us to lay before Him all those people, plans, and possessions we have clung to so dearly. Why? Is God cruel? No! He simply has to remind us that while we live in the temporal there is eternal work to be accomplished, and He gives us the privilege of joining Him in this amazing birthing process. Does this mean you or I can save another person’s soul? No! Only the Holy Spirit can do that. But what’s going on in our lives speaks volumes to those who are watching. If we praise God with tears in those hard times of surrender, the door is open for hearts to be transformed by the work the Father is doing.
To have the faith and trust in God’s provision that Abraham did as he raised his knife to slay Isaac may seem impossible. But perhaps that is because we are putting restraints on what we believe Jesus can do if only we obey His voice. Learning to walk by faith and not by sight does not come natural, but we serve a loving God who wants to help us in a supernatural way. On the other side of those Isaac moments we see the spiritual fruit of the sacrificial seeds we planted. We do not produce the harvest. We are not the creator. But what a blessing it is to be one of Christ’s seed for His glory. There is no greater joy than to welcome new believers into the family of faith, and to walk in mutual love and encouragement towards heaven.
Looking back nine years I have gained some perspective on the cost of my offering even though I do not have full understanding of the reasons behind it. God is gracious to allow this limited view. It’s all I need to know today. Who would have thought that my story would be published and Jesus would use it to draw readers closer to Him? My career goals never including authoring a book and speaking to others about God’s extravagant love that He’s longing to share with them.
How about you? What is your Isaac? Have you left it on the altar, or are you running back to snatch it off before God’s work is finished? This has often been my struggle too. Let us pray together for Jesus to increase our faith. There is so much more He wants to do through us if only we would set aside our own agendas believing His is much better. “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about” (Genesis 22:2).
Your fellow sojourner,
Mary
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Great Words; Great Hope
"He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."
These are great words filled with hope for those who believe in the sacrifice on the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Praise God we have a reason to celebrate! Jesus is not dead--He reigns in heaven, seated at His Father's right hand, and one day will return to rapture His followers. Knowing that we will one day be united with Him forever brings great joy to my heart.
I pray the miracle of the Easter message encourages you to rejoice in the knowledge that the victory has been won. Believers in Christ can celebrate resurrection day every day; not just once a year on Easter Sunday. Some of the greatest words man has ever heard ring true for all generations: "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."
You fellow sojourner,
Mary
These are great words filled with hope for those who believe in the sacrifice on the cross, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Praise God we have a reason to celebrate! Jesus is not dead--He reigns in heaven, seated at His Father's right hand, and one day will return to rapture His followers. Knowing that we will one day be united with Him forever brings great joy to my heart.
I pray the miracle of the Easter message encourages you to rejoice in the knowledge that the victory has been won. Believers in Christ can celebrate resurrection day every day; not just once a year on Easter Sunday. Some of the greatest words man has ever heard ring true for all generations: "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."
You fellow sojourner,
Mary
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)