We Are His Ornaments
By Kris Belfils
I have
so many different Christmas Ornaments that I put up on my
Christmas tree every year. Some have been given to me, some I've
bought, some my children have made, and one in particular that
has been passed down from my Grandmother, to my mother, and then
to me.
I've thought about throwing away the older one as you can hardly
see my name on it any longer. It was written by my grandmother.
A lot of the glitter has come off of it and the colors have
faded. It looks rather dull to someone who has no connection
with it. But I can't bring myself to throw it away as it has
value and meaning to me.
This reminds me of a time in my life when I felt like I wanted
to throw away myself. My "glitter" had come off and I was
looking dull and worthless.
I've always felt I had to be perfect to have people value me. As
hard as I tried, I couldn't keep up the perfectionism and my
life crumbled. My self-worth was wrapped up in what I did and
not in who I was in Christ. It took some time for me to see that
my self-worth was in the cross and what Christ did for me. All
the striving I did to obtain position or prestige was wasted
energy. There was a time I wanted to throw away myself.
May be you feel the same way. You have searched throughout your
life for significance and always end up feeling empty,
worthless, with no glimmer or gladness. How do you view
yourself? Do you see yourself as worthless, or hidden? Do you
think people even notice you? Do you value yourself?
God wants us to see ourselves how He sees us. In other words, we
have to get a hold of His perspective and see ourselves through
His eyes. He sees us in a totally different way then we see
ourselves. We can have a skewed image of ourselves and listen to
the lies of the enemy and what he tells us we are, or we can
take a look at what the word of God says.
In this article we will see that we are God's ornaments; to
shine for His glory.
Every since we were little girls, we have liked glimmery things.
My daughters, especially my youngest, were attracted to things
that sparkled (Shoot we named our dog "Sparkles." You can tell
two little girls had a say in that name.). Whenever we would go
clothes shopping you can bet she will pick out a shirt or a pair
of pants that have glimmer on it. She loved to play "dress up"
when she was younger. Adorning herself with all kinds of
accessories that shinned and looked fru fruish. We just went to
the dollar store the other day and what did my youngest buy? She
bought a glimmery jewelry set and wore it to school the next
day.
Our eyes are attracted to things that glimmer. We are attracted
to light. This is how we are made. God knows this and wants us
to be that glimmering light to others. Let's look into the word
of God and see all the glimmery things we are!
1. We are God's Jewels
Mal. 3:17
"And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day
when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him."
It is not angels or heavenly hosts that are referred to as God's
jewels, but sinners saved by grace. The vilest sinner, once they
have been forgiven by God's grace and washed in the blood of
Christ, is the most precious treasure to God.
How can one who has walked in sin turn into a precious jewel?
This is a miracle, the miracle of the cross. We have to remember
it is not what we have done or not done that makes us a precious
jewel, it is what Christ did on the cross for us.
A precious diamond or gem is hidden deep within the ground and
it takes much time and patience to seek and find them. We are
those hidden treasures. We are those earthen vessels, that for
some, are hidden and no one ever sees. But, we have to know that
God sees us and knows where we are hiding. Soon we will be taken
out of our hiddenness and placed in His Crown for all to see.
God cultivates the unseen to eventually be seen for His glory.
That's why we sing praises to God. He has made each of us clean
and white as snow. He has made us to shine.
We are His glory. We shine because of what He has done in our
lives. He has made beauty from ashes. Not only do we shine, but
we are His precious jewels. We are His ornaments to shine in a
dark world.
Just like a precious stone is placed in a setting, which is what
God is doing with each of us, He specifically places us where He
wants us to be. Placing a stone in its proper setting takes
precision and careful insight to know where that stone should be
to beautify the ring.
2. We are his riches of His glory
Eph. 1:18
"the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints,"
We are valuable. Just like money/riches are valuable, we are
valuable to God. No one can take away your value. People may
look at you or your past, but God sees you through His Son dying
on the cross. Our past is forgiven, and we are a new creation (2
Cor. 5:17). The old has past and behold all things are new (and
sparkly).
3. We are one pearl of great price
The Lord Jesus likens His Church unto "one pearl of great
price," so that He "went and sold all that He had, and bought
it"
Matthew 13:45 46
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking
beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Arthur W. Pink states, "The value of a thing in the eyes of its
possessor may be gauged by the price he was willing to pay for
it. So valuable was the Church unto Christ that He gave Himself
for it, and shed His "precious blood" to purchase it for
Himself. Thus, the saints are likened unto "jewels" because of
the great value which the Lord places upon them."
4. We have the glory of the Lord risen upon us
God has placed His glory upon us to shine for Him.
Isaiah 60:1 2 (NKJV)
"Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the
LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the
earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise
over you, and His glory will be seen upon you."
Amplified Bible
"1 Arise [from the depression and prostration in which
circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]!, shine ; for
thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness (misery, destruction, death,
ignorance, sorrow, wickedness) shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his
glory shall be seen upon thee."
"Glory shall be seen upon thee" God's glory will be seen upon
us. When we walk in what Christ did for us on the cross, and we
enjoy the peace and joy of being a new creation, God's glory
shines from us, and we wear it well!
5. We are a crown of glory in the hand of our God
Isaiah 62:3 (NKJV)
"You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD and
a royal diadem in the hand of your God."
Here are some definitions for the word, "glory:"
Glory:
tiph'arah: Beauty, splendour, finery (of garments, jewels),
honour
Heder: Ornament, splendour, adornment
Kabad: To be heavy, be weighty, be rich, be honorable, be
glorious, be made abundant, enjoy honour
Kabod: glory, honour, abundance, riches, splendour, dignity,
reputation, reverence
6. We are given beauty for ashes
Isaiah 61:3
"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."
Has God been beautifying you? Do you feel like you are all ruff
around the edges and have a long ways to go to be a beautiful
gem? Don't lose heart. God has a plan and will not stop until
that plan is fulfilled in you. Sometimes we don't understand why
life goes a certain way. We may have taken a turn for the worse
and hate where we are. Yield to God's craftiness of changing
your beauty for ashes. He excels in making beauty in impossible
places. A jewel is prized for its luster. It flashes with
brilliance when the light hits it. Put it in a dark room and one
will see nothing. This is how we are as God's gems. We sparkle
and shine when the light of His glory is on us. When we try and
shine on our own, in this dark world of the flesh, we never
shine and sparkle. We are beautiful only because of what God has
done in and through us. He has done great things!
7. We are clothed and covered with ornaments and jewels
Isaiah 61:10
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD my soul shall be joyful in
my God for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He
has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with
her jewels."
This is the whole miracle of being a Christian. It is His
salvation and righteousness that covers us and makes us shine.
This is the power of the cross. God can make beauty for ashes.
He has done it with all of us. We are His gems and we wear
forgiveness like a crown. Here is one more definition of glory:
hà‚lal: to shine (figuratively of God's favor), to flash forth
light, to praise, boast, be boastful. This Christmas, as we see
lights twinkle and ornaments glimmer, let it be a reminder of
who we are. We are His people who shine and sing His praises
with our lives. We are a walking jewel placed there by God's
gentle hand. We are valuable!
May I suggest to you that we all walk with the knowledge that:
1. We are God's Jewels
2. We are His riches of His glory
3. We are one pearl of great price
4. We have the glory of the Lord risen upon us
5. We are a crown of glory in the hand of our God
6. We are given beauty for ashes
7. We are clothed and covered with ornaments and Jewels
Let us grab a hold of who we are in Christ and never forget that
we shine for God's glory!
Kris Belfils is an Author, Pastor, Singer/Songwriter,
Speaker, and Worship Leader. She has a passion to see people
transformed and set free. Her newest book, "The Garbage Man
Always Comes On Fridays," is a powerful tool to help others
overcome their past.
www.krisbelfils.com
