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Listen while you read: "Spirit Of God Descend"1 (Lyrics) |
Isaiah 61:3 – And provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (NIV)
I have taken up a new hobby: stained glass mosaics. Mosaics are pictures or patterns made up from small bits of stone or glass. The nice thing about this hobby is that it requires only leftover pieces of glass, which makes it quite affordable, compared to regular stained glass art. It also offers a challenge, which I enjoy, as I carefully pick my way through mounds of broken shards and chunks, seeking just the right colour in the right size and shape for the design that I am creating. With each new piece, as it is set into place, my picture becomes more and more of a reality, until at last, it is complete and beautifully whole — a brilliant gem against a sun-washed window.
Our lives in Christ are much like stained glass mosaics, for He, too, works wonders with leftovers: leftover broken hearts and lives, minds, bodies, and spirits. When we humbly choose to trust and offer Him the pieces of our brokenness, He carefully and lovingly picks and chooses amidst it all, until bit by bit, He creates a brand new and beautiful thing within our lives. For indeed, as Isaiah has penned, He is able to bestow "a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
I should know, for this is exactly what He has done for me and is only too glad to do for you, too, if only you will let Him.
Prayer: Father God, what a marvel that You are, to be able to take our brokenness and reshape it into a thing of beauty and goodness. Bless us with humble and trusting hearts today as we offer ourselves anew to You. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Amen!
Good reminder Lynne.
What a beautiful picture you painted in my mind with your words. Thanks.
Dear Lynne, do you ever sleep?? Thank you for your boundless energy and Jesus thoughts for us!
Thank you so much for a beautiful and timely devotion.
(Texas)
Thank you for this devotional. It is so true and have experienced it in my life as well. Bless you.
Good morning Lynne!
Thank you for penning today’s devotional to wake up to!
Gladness and Praise to the splendor of God!
Well said Lynne,
A great inspirational message. I enjoyed they way you applied it to our lives in Christ.
Many blessings.
Oh Lynne, what a beautiful devotional! I loved your illustration of the mosaic. It’s a comforting reminder to know that God will use the left-over pieces in our lives to make something very special in each of us.
Blessings.
Dear Lynne,
I enjoyed your story about doing mosaics. I had wanted to do a table top with a mosaic pattern, but never got around to it. The analogy was also perfect; how God puts us together with such care and love so that we become beautiful representatives for Him. Thank you so much for writing this.
Great as always Lynne! Having fulfilled one of the things on my Bucket List several years back, I took a course in stained glass making….and it is no small feat. I made several things, not to perfection by any stretch, but do know and appreciate the process. Good on you for pursuing it, and great that through it you have given us an analogous devotional.
Dear Lynne:
My art group does a collage once a year. It is so amazing to see ripped pieces of magazine pages become works of art.
When I look at my own life and see bits and scraps it is a wonder that God can even use me, yet He does. I am so grateful for his guiding hand.
Blessings.
Hi Lynne, Thanks for your many contributions to the daily devotionals. Always interesting to see what you are doing in your life and what God is doing in your life.
I particularly liked your thought for the day. i will send it to my son-in-law who right now is having a lot of angst about losing his job and he has a family to support etc.
Have a blessed day and keep making those mosaics!
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for today’s devotional. I’m reading a Guideposts series about a pastor who gave up his mega church in Texas for a small semi-retirement church in Tennessee. The hobby/business of the minister’s wife is cut glass stained items, not just windows. Until I started reading the series, I wasn’t that familiar with this craft but just love reading about her craft room and how she goes about/gets ideas re her next project.