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.’ (Isaiah 61:3)

These are beautiful words in and of themselves. But it reminds me of what I have to offer to God, and what He has given me through Jesus Christ. All I have to offer is ashes, sadness and a spirit of heaviness. I have nothing, nothing that I can do myself. Nothing that I can call my own. And yet Jesus has given me beauty, garments of praise, the oil of joy! It is His gift to us, so that we can be steadfast (like trees) in righteousness, so that He can be glorified. So that He can be glorified! What a gift! This is why the Gospel is the Good News. Or at least part of the reason.

Let us not take this gift for granted. Because He has given it to us so that we may be called trees of righteousness, so that we may be pillars of goodness in the world.