An Ugly Tree

ISAIAH 61:3 NKJ 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."

Jesus came to give us beauty instead of ashes. To transform the ashes of our life into something beautiful -- for His glory.

As I was walking one day, I came upon a tree. It was short, twisted, and poorly shaped. Obviously, it had faced many storms and had suffered greatly. To be honest, the tree itself, was ugly.

But that day something transformed that ugly tree into something gloriously beautiful, and very pleasant to look at. It was covered with little pink flowers. In fact, the tree was bursting with life coming from inside its gnarled branches.

As I looked at the tree, enjoying the beautiful sight, it reminded me of us as believers -- who may not be very desirable on our own -- but with Jesus' life and love flowing through us -- we become glorious creatures.

So no matter how twisted and ugly you may have become because of the storms of life, if you allow Jesus to live and manifest through you, everyone will see beauty instead of ashes and ugliness.

JEREMIAH 17:7-8 NLT 7 "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

SAY THIS: Jesus in me makes all the difference!