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   Beholding Glory/Faith Filled Friday 

“The tree you saw was growing very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see. It had fresh green leaves…Wild animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches.” (Dan. 4:20-21 NLT)

That was Tree. Deep in the midst of nature’s sanctuary, he stood above all the rest. Grand and beautiful.

Tree’s branches stretched toward the sky as if to touch his Creator and reached out in a wide circle as if to encompass all those around him.

In spring, he blossomed with new growth, opening his limbs as a portal of welcome for the birds to come sing their sweet melodies to their Creator.

In the hot, summer sun, his leaves unfurled as a canopy of shade for the lovers who came to sit on the bench beneath his shadow and commune with the Master of the forest.

In the midst of fall, seedlings of hope fell from his limbs to the ground, spreading out his tiny descendants of the future. He dressed in a multicolored coat of beauty for all to enjoy before the grave of winter entombed him.

With all that, he still felt useless.

I provide comfort for all the Creator’s creatures, thought Tree. But oh, I wish I could be of greater service to Him. How can I be an entrance of praise to my Maker? How can I be a support to the Creator’s followers? How can I be a likeness of the Master’s message of love and forgiveness? Oh, to be of greater service!

But he puzzled just how to this.

One day, Tree heard his Creator say, “Because it is in your heart to serve Me, I shall grant your heart’s desires.”

On the outskirts of the forest, nestled in the lush, green valley laid a picturesque town. A small, white church sat in the midst of the town square.

One day, a fierce twister ripped through the area, cutting a devastating swath through the forest and the middle of town, destroying most of the old church.

When the parishioners came to assess the damage, they were overwhelmed with despair as they walked through the piles of rubble. But they gathered themselves together and began working to rebuild the church on their own as they could not afford to hire anyone for the work.

One day, one of the workers, a carpenter, had an idea. He went out to the forest to find a tree felled by the storm’s ravages. He walked deep within the forest and found a magnificent tree lying on the ground.

Oh, how can I ever be of service now that I am destroyed? thought Tree.

Taking out his axe, the carpenter chopped Tree into sections and hauled them back to his workshop.

On his way there, three ideas swirled around in his head. For the next several months, the carpenter sacrificed all his time to fashioning three special items out of the tree for the church.

The following spring, when the work was completed, the people came the first Sunday to worship. Arriving at the church, they all marveled how beautiful it looked and how it glorified God. The carpenter had used the remnants of the tree to fashion the front door, the pews, and the cross.

You could almost hear Tree sigh. Now, my heart’s desires to be of service are answered.

Because of the carpenter’s handiwork, I am now an entrance of praise, a welcoming portal, that worshippers may come to the sanctuary of God and sing their sweet melodies of praise.

Because of the carpenter’s artistry, I am now polished pews, supporting the Creator’s followers, as they come to commune with the Master.

Because of the carpenter’s sacrifice, I am the cross that proudly proclaims the Master’s message of love and forgiveness, that more may have eternal life.

We are God’s trees of righteousness (Is. 61:3). Though we serve the Lord, occasionally, we feel useless and desire to be of greater use. Just as the little, white church, we, too, must sometimes suffer a ravaging storm to blow through our midsection as it attempts to destroy our temple that we may be of higher service.

When we feel we have been felled by the world’s axe of affliction, the Carpenter can still make us useful. If that is our hearts’ desire.

*Because of God’s handiwork in our lives, we open our hearts to praise Him.
*Because of Christ’s artistry in our lives, we can be reshaped to support God’s people.
*Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can share His love with others and point them to His cross of forgiveness and eternal life.

Just as the carpenter sacrificed all his time to fashion special items for the little church, Jesus the Carpenter sacrificed for us to be made into His implements for the church to glorify Him.

Trust the Carpenter to do His work well with you.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph. 3:20-21 NKJV)

In ancient Jewish tradition, a mother wove a seamless garment for her son when he left home. Did Mary do this for Jesus? No one knows but I’m pretty sure, if she held to tradition, she must have.

If Mary lovingly created it, Jesus wore it, probably wearing it before His betrayal when He went to Simon the leper’s house. As He reclined at the table, a woman came and broke open her beautiful, alabaster passion box, full of the extremely valuable, perfumed oil of spikenard.

As she lovingly poured it upon Jesus’ head, it likely trickled down His cheeks, seeped into His beard, and gently dripped upon His shoulders, saturating His garment. (Mark 14:3, Matt. 26:6-7)

In Eastern culture, the garment of the bridegroom was saturated with rich perfumes. As this woman lovingly poured out her precious possession upon the heavenly Bridegroom, it permeated His garment.

Almost as prophetic words, the Shulamite woman says of her beloved in the beautiful Song of Solomon, “While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance.” (SOS 1:12 NKJV)

Don’t you know that through the long hours of His agony in the garden, during His betrayal, in the courtyard of His judgment before Caiaphas and Pilate, and until that garment was removed, Jesus must have breathed in that sweet smell of sacrificial love poured out upon Him, while this scripture likely echoed in His Spirit, “The odor of your ointments is fragrant, your name is like perfume poured out.” (SOS 1:3 Amp)

As He probably did not wash His hair, the fragrance clung to it. That sweet aroma must have wafted its fragrance of love into His nostrils throughout His torment at the whipping post and while hanging on the cross, more than likely thinking, “This is for all those who will pour out their love on Me.”

Jesus’ sacrifice for our forgiveness and eternal life cost Him His life and was a sweet aroma to God, as scripture says, “God was pleased, for Christ’s love for you was like sweet perfume to Him.” (Eph. 5:2b TLB)

Are our trust and faith as that sweet aroma of the alabaster passion box poured out to Jesus? Do our offerings cost us something, or do they have little meaning to us? If we give God what is of little value to us, how will it be of any value to Him? If a sacrifice is to be a true sacrifice, it must cost something to give it.

A true, sacrificial worship gift costs us the surrender of our money, for we give sacrificially, as the widow who gave her two mites. It costs us the surrender of our time, for we sacrifice it to put God first. It costs us the surrender of our hearts, for we sacrifice our love to those who hate us. It costs us the surrender of our lips, for we sacrifice our praise to God when all seems lost.

What have you given Him? What does it cost you? Will it be, as David said, “that which costs me nothing”? (2 Sam. 24:24b NKJV) Whatever it costs, it must come from a loving and willing heart.

Jesus gave you His sweet sacrifice of salvation. Have you given your life as a sacrifice back to Him, as that “sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God”? (Phil. 4:18 NKJV)

(This is submitted for Peter Pollock’s One Word at a Time Blog Carnival on the topic sacrifice. Check out Peter’s site for the other entries.)

In ancient Jewish tradition, a mother weaved a seamless garment for her son when he left home. Did Mary do this for Jesus? No one knows but I’m pretty sure, if she held to tradition, she must have.

If Mary lovingly created it, I am sure Jesus wore it, even wearing it before His betrayal when He went to Simon the leper’s house. As He reclined at the table, a woman came and broke open her beautiful, alabaster passion box, full of the extremely valuable, perfumed oil of spikenard. As she lovingly poured it upon Jesus’ head, it probably trickled down His cheeks, seeped into His beard, and gently dripped upon His shoulders, saturating His garment.

In Eastern culture, the garment of the bridegroom is saturated with rich perfumes. This woman lovingly poured out her precious possession upon the heavenly Bridegroom which permeated His garment. Almost as prophetic words, the Shulamite woman says of her beloved in the beautiful Song of Solomon, “While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance.” (SOS 1:12 NKJV)

Don’t you know that through the long hours of His agony in the garden, during His betrayal, in the courtyard of His judgment before Caiaphas and Pilate, and until that garment was removed, Jesus breathed in that sweet smell of sacrificial love that had been poured out upon Him, while this scripture may have echoed in His Spirit, “The odor of your ointments is fragrant, your name is like perfume poured out.” (SOS 1:3 Amp)

As He probably did not wash His hair, the fragrance clung to it. That sweet aroma must have wafted its fragrance of love into His nostrils throughout His torment at the whipping post and while hanging on the cross, more than likely thinking, “This is for all those who will pour out their love on Me.”

Jesus’ sacrifice for our forgiveness and eternal life cost Him His life and was a sweet aroma to God, as scripture says, “God was pleased, for Christ’s love for you was like sweet perfume to Him.” (Eph. 5:2b TLB)

Are our trust and faith as that sweet aroma of the alabaster passion box poured out to Jesus? Do our offerings cost us something, or do they have little meaning to us? If we give God what is of little value to us, how will it be of any value to Him? If a sacrifice is to be a true sacrifice, it must cost something to give it.

A true, sacrificial worship gift costs us the surrender of our money, for we give sacrificially, as the widow who gave her two mites. It costs us the surrender of our time, for we sacrifice it to put God first. It costs us the surrender of our hearts, for we sacrifice our love to those who hate us. It costs us the surrender of our lips, for we sacrifice our praise to God when all seems lost.

Whatever it costs, it must come from a loving and willing heart.

Jesus gave you His sweet sacrifice of salvation.

What have you given Him? What does it cost you? Have you given your heart to the One Who gave you His life?

Are you “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God”? (Phil. 4:18 NKJV)

May you experience that sweet smell of Easter’s sacrifice in a fresh, new way this year.

Continuing on our thought from the last post of a BFF, a best friend forever, what does the Bible say about the term “friend”? And how were they connected forever?

The answer? Covenant.

In ancient, Hebrew times, Israel needed to make treaties with certain nations in order to be in agreement with them for several reasons and would enact a covenant.

Covenants were made between individuals, between a king and his people, between two groups or nations, or between God and a man or His people. Not only a treaty of peace, covenant was an agreement or alliance of marriage or friendship.

This agreement required each party to make promises, which were sealed with signs, pledges, or oaths and were never to be broken - ever!

The sacrifice of flesh most often ratified covenant. It was a very serious action taken to solidify one’s agreement with another. The animal’s flesh was cut in two and then the two agreeing parties walked through the pieces of flesh, which was a walk into death, meaning that death was the result for breaking covenant.

Abiding by the conditions ruled each partner’s relationship. This agreement consisted of a full-coverage policy blanketing not only the covenant participant but also his entire household. So, if one died, the benefits and blessings of covenant were still extended to the rest of the family. At the conclusion of cutting covenant, each participant was considered to be a friend.

Over the centuries, the covenant understanding of “friend” has completely lost its meaning. To comprehend it a little better, let’s take a peek at the most revealing and tender of all covenants of friendship between those in the Bible…that of David and Jonathan.

Scripture says that “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul…Then Jonathan and David made a covenant…And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.” (1 Sam. 18:1, 3a, 4 NKJV)

In essence, he stripped himself of all his personal possessions, essentially naked to the world, defenseless and vulnerable, giving it all to David, and laid down his life for his friend. This was the covenant exchange.

In this exchange, when the occasional trading of robes took place, it meant that identities and authorities were interchanged, symbolic of “putting on” the other, which irreversibly connected the two as one in an eternal bond of covenant friendship.

From time to time, an exchange of weapons would take place, symbolizing protection against the other’s enemies. It was an inherent obligation to lay down one’s life, if necessary, to defend and protect the other from his enemies, as Jonathan did for David when Saul sought to kill David. Jonathan vowed to protect David and David was bound to reciprocate.

The definition of ‘ransom’ means that which is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption. As Jesus gave Himself for our redemption and walked out that covenant-walk of death, we join Him in agreement, becoming His covenant partner and friend, for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” (John 14:6 NKJV) through His sacrifice of flesh.

In His covenant exchange, Jesus stripped off His earthly robe of habitation and laid down His life for us as His friends. This was the exchange of identities, and, when we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, our spotted garment of sin becomes His and His robe of righteousness becomes ours, irreversibly connecting us in an eternal bond of covenant friendship.

Jesus stated, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NKJV) A friend will readily exchange his life for his covenant partner’s life.

So, is Jesus your BFF?

~~Blessings, Lynn~~