Called Beautiful

 We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind. ~Isaiah 64:6

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,

    for the Lord has anointed me

    to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted

    and to proclaim that captives will be released

    and prisoners will be freed

 He has sent me to tell those who mourn

    that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,

    and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

To all who mourn in Israel,

    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

    festive praise instead of despair.

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks

    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
    repairing cities destroyed long ago.
They will revive them,
    though they have been deserted for many generations

 Foreigners will be your servants.
    They will feed your flocks
and plow your fields
    and tend your vineyards

You will be called priests of the Lord,
    ministers of our God.
You will feed on the treasures of the nations
    and boast in their riches.

Instead of shame and dishonor,
    you will enjoy a double share of honor.
You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours. 

“For I, the Lord, love justice.
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering
    and make an everlasting covenant with them

Their descendants will be recognized
    and honored among the nations.
Everyone will realize that they are a people
    the Lord has blessed.”

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
    For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
    and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
    or a bride with her jewels

 The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.
    Everyone will praise him!
His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring,
    with plants springing up everywhere.

Isaiah 61 

"As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

   when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness" ~ Psalm 17:15

"The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." ~ 2 Corinthians 3:7-8

"The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven." ~ Hebrew 1:3

"For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory." ~Romans 8:29-30

"The one thing I ask of the LORD--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple. " ~Psalm 27:4

"Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." ~ 1 Peter 3:3-4

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself." ~ Ephesians 5:25-28 (underlining mine)

AND

"All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you." ~ Song of Solomon 4:7 (see 1:15 too)

 *All New Living Translation

When you read these verses, what do you see? Beauty, I hope.

God is the very definition of beauty. We are created to be like God, but in our mortal bodies, we full of sin. We are ugly. Yet because of Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, we are remade. We are beautiful once again in the sight of God. 

This is why I wanted to tell my testimony, and have others share their testimonies as well. After recollecting on our ugly pasts, we can recognize what God has done in us. To see us who were and what we have become. What we have become isn't what we tried our very best to do. It is all because of God's love that he sent his son Jesus to take away the punishment of our sins. This was because in God's sight, we were sinful; because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we are seen now as if we had never sin. We accepted that truth, and began a new life where we are walking with God, asking him every step of the way of how to be like him. To be like him is beautiful. To look like him is to be beautiful.

Beauty brings many things to us when we see it. Joy, peace, comfort. When we look upon the face of Christ, who was beautiful in the sight of God, we are transformed. We are being made to look like him. Today, give thanks to him for what he had done in your life. First look back to who you were and see the difference there. Even look right now at your life this day, and see in what areas in your life the Lord can help you. Give him everything. 

Let our ugly human nature fall away. Let God be seen through us. Let us become mirror of who he is. In doing so, we are called beautiful in the sight of God.

 "Called Beauty" by Jenny & Tyler