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NASB | Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:1 And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, |
Subject: Storing Up Treasure |
Bible Note: Greetings! I thought you'd like to know what happened - thanks again for your prayers! Every year I have an ornament exchange and invite my friends. In conjunction with the fun I also give a "devotional." This summer, while waiting for boat fuel, I was walking along the shore and found some beach glass. I picked it up and knew that this was to be part of my message at Christmas. It was as if the Lord whispered, "You are like this glass." It was broken and marred, buffeted by the water and thrown against the rocks; scratched by tumbling over the sand until all the sharp edges were gone and a fine patina coated its once glossy surface. I realized that what I was holding was a representation of how the Lord has refined me through the circumstances He has brought into my life - to make me more like His Son. We are all like washed up beach glass, yet we are loved and desired by God to be part of His collection - what beauty we can become when held in His hand! Earlier this month as I was contemplating what the Lord would have me to say, He reminded me in many ways that He was "broken" too - broken for my sin. Broken so I could become His and in the process, become like Him too. He "showed me" a piece of crystal (contrast the purity and beauty of this with the "beach glass!) and I had the distinct impression that He wanted me to use this in my presentation as an object lesson. I sensed that He wanted me to break this crystal. Knowing that at times I really struggle with His voice, the Lord was so incredibly clear as the very next day at church we had communion (this was SO significant because in the 16 years we have attended, we have never had the Lord's Supper in a morning service!). These words, "This is My Body, broken for you." reverberated through my entire being. (And just so I would have even more "confirmation" about this "breaking", the Lord allowed my husband to break his ankle on Thanksgiving!) OK LORD! I hear you. This was a "baby step" though . . . I had in my mind a piece of crystal that I would use, reasoning it already had a crack in it. But the Lord's sacrifice was to be unblemished . . . and I sensed that the LORD wanted to choose the piece of crystal for me to break. Now, this was a challenge in a way for I have many lovely pieces of crystal. Most hold some sentimental significance to me in one way or another. Yet, I believe that the Lord was calling me to be obedient in this area too and I chose to trust Him. So, I placed all my crystal pieces on my table as the "decor" for the evening - it did look lovely! I planned to sprinkle beach glass around my "offering" on the day of the "exchange" but as I looked, I realized that one thing was missing, I needed a RED poinsettia - this would represent the shed blood of Christ that transforms the broken pieces of beach glass into a pure crystal Masterpiece. And that afternoon, the doorbell rang and when I answered it, there was a man holding a RED poinsettia for me! Now given a choice, I'm sure everyone would choose a piece of crystal over a piece of beach glass, but not the Lord - He chose us, just as we are, broken and marred by sin. He exchanged His pure Life for ours. I knew that this would be illustrated by the breaking of one of these pieces on my table, but which one? I couldn't trust myself to pick the right one and I really struggled with this. Thankfully, the Lord impressed upon me to ask my daughter (13) to choose the piece, so He must have a lesson in mind for her too. I told Lizzy that God had an assignment for her to do in my devotional and I asked her to just pray about it. On the morning of my party, a guest called to ask if she could bring her ornament over early because she had a late meeting and didn't want to miss the "exchange." Then she told me that if she wasn't there, to "Let Lizzy pick an ornament for me, I trust her." Well, I was just about speechless when I heard those words - to me it was further confirmation that God was at work! When Lizzy came home from school, she wondered if God wanted her to "check coats" and "make drinks!" I said, "No, but I'll tell you when the time comes." Just before we began, I asked her to walk around the table and pray. I was just as excited as she was to know what was going to happen! Part 2 to follow |