From Trash to Treasure

“…to bestow on them a crown of

beauty instead of ashes…”

Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)

There is a trash dump – a landfill – in Cateura, Paraguay, that is unique. I know you may be thinking “Trash is trash, no matter where it is” and that is true to a point. But two things make this landfill unique.

First, a slum is built on the landfill. People live there and sift through the trash day after day, in hopes of finding something they can sell. And secondly, the people at this landfill believe that something beautiful – in other words, a treasure - can be made from someone else’s trash. And they are right.

That’s where the Recycled Orchestra comes in. The instruments that members of the Recycled Orchestra play are made entirely from trash from the landfill in Cateura, Paraguay.

You see, my friends, there are people who carefully dig through what we would consider trash - an old oil can or bent fork or piece of wood - and they recycle these items to build musical instruments, like a cello or violin. Who would have thought that pieces of trash could be transformed into beautifully sounding musical instruments!

I can’t help but relate this true story to my life when I was outside of Christ. Holding a grudge was the norm, getting even was assumed. Looking out for me above everyone else was expected. I wasn’t happy but I felt that nothing could pull me out of the life of trash that I was in. That is, until I met Jesus.

His promises were simple: if I would give Him permission, He would clean out the ashes – the burned up trash – of my life and He would replace it with unbelievable beauty in my heart.

All the dirt (sin) would be removed and I would be as white as snow. (Psalm 51:7) His request was this: that I confess the ugliness – the trash – of my life, ask His forgiveness, and begin a new life in Him.

I admit that there are days when I allow the ugly to sneak back in and I have to take a deep breath, confess it to the Lord, and start over. But oh the joy in knowing that He will take the recycled trash of my life and mold it into a treasure for eternity.   

Lord, today I give you permission to come into my life and to clean out all the ashes from the trash I have carried far too long. Mold me into the woman that you want me to be. I long to be whiter than snow in my heart and I know that can only happen when I turn my life completely over to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What are some the trash items that you have carried in your heart?

• Have any of them made your life more abundant with peace and joy?

Application

• Ask a strong Christian friend to be your accountability partner.

• Encourage her to be willing to prayerfully show you those times when trash in your life needs to be turned over to the Lord to be recycled into His beauty for you.

Power Verses

• Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) “…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…”

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) “He has made everything beautiful in its time…”

• Psalm 51:7 (NIV) “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Eavesdropping on God

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God

 may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

II Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Many years ago teaching hospitals had an area designated the "operating theater." It was an elevated amphitheater that surrounded the operating room where surgeries took place. The theater was created so that interns and other spectators could observe a surgery beginning to end from above the operating table.

Many times the physicians would explain to those watching exactly what they were doing. But often the interns simply listened to comments the physicians made to each other as they discussed what they found as well as what might be done to contribute to the positive healing and welfare of the patient.

The interns in effect were eavesdropping on the conversations between the doctors as they faced each new patient and surgery. They listened and observed situations in surgery that they would face as future surgeons . . . and they learned.

That is exactly what God, the Creator, has allowed us to do today. The Bible is full of conversations and situations with real people and real drama and real outcomes. God has determined that one of the best ways for us to learn how to make decisions in our lives is for us to be able to eavesdrop on similar conversations and situations throughout Bible times.

For example, when we are afraid and anxious because of a huge uncertainty we are facing, we need only to turn to the first chapter in Joshua and eavesdrop on the conversation God has with His servant as He encourages that warrior to "be strong and courageous because I (God) will never leave you."  

When a child decides that home and rules do not apply to him and he decides to find his own way in the world, we can turn to Matthew 15 to experience a father whose son also left home and the father's joy at his son's return.

As we struggle with forgiving a friend who has hurt us, we listen as Jesus instructs his disciples in Luke 17 about forgiveness.

My encouragement to each of you today is to eavesdrop...eavesdrop on conversations that God has left for us in His Word. Nothing will ever happen in your life that you cannot find an answer to or encouragement for in the Bible. But you will never know the answers if you don't eavesdrop.

Father, I want more than anything to know your answers to my problems. My desire is to know more clearly what you would have me do in my life. Thank you for your Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you ever wonder if anyone truly understands what you are going through in your life?

• Have you ever felt like you faced a situation that Scripture did not address? Why or why not?

Application

• Journal situations that you are facing this week.

• Eavesdrop on God's Word and write at least two Scriptures that apply to those situations and the encouragement God has for you.

Power Verses

• II Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

• Psalm 143:8 (NIV) ". . . Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

• Proverbs 15:33 (NIV) "The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor."

Would You Say it To My Face?

“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed,

or hidden that will not be made known. What you

 have  said in the dark will be heard in the

daylight, and what you have whispered

 in the ear in the inner rooms will

be proclaimed from the roofs.”

Luke 12:2-3 (NIV)

Cell phones can be a great way of communicating . . . most of the time. On the plus side, you don’t have to stay at home waiting for an important phone call because you can be reached no matter where you might be. But there can be a down side to them, too, as a girlfriend of mine found out several years ago.

She had received a call on her cell phone from Marie with questions about a party that was being planned. The conversation was a bit complicated because Marie’s sister was at her home to help plan the party so the conversation went from Marie to her sister, back to Marie and then to my friend.

Marie finally solved that problem: she put her cell phone on speaker so they could all hear the conversation at the same time. When they finally had everything planned out, Marie said “I’ll talk to you later” as my friend said “Okay.”

 The one catch? Marie forgot to hit the “end” button on her cell phone.

That in itself wouldn’t necessarily be bad because my friend could simply have hung up but she heard her name and started to answer, thinking that Marie had forgotten to ask her something. However, what she heard caused her to catch her breath and tears to roll.

The two women she had just talked to on the phone were discussing her and it was not a kind discussion. Their opinions left no item out of the conversation, from how poorly she decorated her home to her lack of cooking skills to her latest haircut.

As my friend heard the conversation move on to her husband and children she hung up, brokenhearted and incredibly sad at the comments of the two women.

I could not help thinking about today’s Scripture after she tearfully shared what had happened. “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight…”

Confession time, my friends. How many of us have made unkind comments and given our opinions about someone that would have crushed that person had we said it face to face?

 Me…I raise my hand here but not in a proud way. I am ashamed to say that I have made comments that would have hurt deeply the person I was talking about had they heard them. I am the one who has whispered judgment about someone that I would never ever want “proclaimed from the roofs.”

It is never okay to gossip and comment hurtfully about someone. As I comforted my friend and her broken heart, I also asked the Lord to forgive me for those things I have said that would hurt so deeply if repeated to the person.

Join me in memorizing Luke 12:2-3. And let us resolve to do everything we can to encourage and not rip apart as we hit the “end” button on hurtful comments so that the only thing “proclaimed from the roofs” is the love of Jesus.

Father, I am ashamed about the harsh words that I have spoken about someone that I would never say to her face. Forgive me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever made a comment about someone that you would be embarrassed to have them know?

• What do you think their reaction would be if they had heard your comment about them? Hurt? Tears?

Application

• Before you respond to a comment made about someone, take a breath and ask yourself: Would I be embarrassed or ashamed if that person was standing in front of me when I answer?

• Memorize today’s Scripture as a reminder before you comment about others.

Power Verses

• Luke 12:2-3 (NIV) “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

• Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is  helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

• Titus 3:2 (NIV) “to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

I Don't Live There Anymore

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up;

do you not perceive it? I am making

a way in the desert and streams

in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

Moving from my old home to a new one created a lot more problems than I had anticipated. Trying to downsize was a huge issue since I was moving from a 5 bedroom to a 3 bedroom home. And of course, all the paperwork created a near migraine by the time it was finished.

One dilemma that was totally unexpected was changing my address. I thought I was ahead of the game when I bought four packages of “I’ve Moved!” cards to send to friends until I realized that the cards got packed in the move and were not found until a year later.

Fortunately the post office forwarded my mail from my other home for a few months which helped as I notified insurance agents, medical facilities and credit card companies of the address change.

But for six months after the move, I kept receiving mail at my new home that belonged to the previous home owners. I would write “doesn’t live here anymore” and put it back in the mailbox but I continued to receive letters from the same companies over and over. It was almost as though the senders didn’t believe my message written on each envelope.

It occurred to me that sometimes as Christians we are viewed in that same way. When we give our lives to the Lord, we are told to “forget the former things” as the Scripture from Isaiah says. But, as sad as it is, too often there are Christian brothers and sisters who do not.

They may not speak openly about what you did or didn’t do before you gave your heart to the Lord but their actions and glances are every bit as loud as a spoken word. And while God Himself assures us that He forgives and forgets, some do not.

My friends, if that is where you find yourself today, please remember what your new “home” is filled with: room after room of forgiveness and grace and mercy. Pray for those who feel the need to judge you by your past; pray that they will truly experience becoming a new creation, as you are in your new “home.”

Maybe my old “home” was larger with more storage…but it does not compare to my new “home” in Christ.  Just as the message I wrote on those envelopes, you too can live with confidence in knowing that God does not judge us by how we lived in the past. Nancy doesn’t live there anymore.

Father, I praise you today for your forgiveness and mercy and for creating a new me when I turn my life over to you. Show me the new life that you have for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever had someone make a comment or look at you in a way that let you know they remembered your past before you came to the Lord?

• What was your first reaction when that happened?

Application

• Make note cards with today’s Power Verses on them.

• Place them around your home, in your Bible, in your car and in a cabinet to remind you about your address change when you turned your life and “home” over to the Lord.

Power Verses

• Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

• Isaiah 43:16 (NIV) “…For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.”

• II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”