As I have come to know the Love of Jesus, in relationship with Him…I ponder how we are so loved by Him.  How Jesus takes us where we are, transforms us with His love…daily.

Then, as we surrender, submit, and follow Jesus…to the places He leads (even through trials, hardships…the “valley of the shadow of death”)…we can look back with each step and see His rescuing love and how He has transformed our lives.

Our identity is in Christ…not our past, not our mistakes, not what we do…or…who we think we are.   We are polished gems, pressed by the fire of the Living God…reflecting His love, His truth, and His glory that transforms lives for eternity:

From broken to Beloved – “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between His shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12

From victim to Victor – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:4

From abandoned to Adopted – “God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.”  Ephesians 1:5

From lonely to Loved – The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”  Jeremiah 31:3

From dejected to Desired – “I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.”  Haggai 2:7

From oppressed to Overcomer –   “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”  I John 5:4

From rejected to Redeemed – “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”  Isaiah 44:2

From condemned to Chosen –   “Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?”  James 2:5  …and…  “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”  I Peter 2:9

From hopeless to Healed – “O LORD my God, I called to You for help and you healed me.”  Psalm 30:2

From worthless to Wonderfully and fearfully made – “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Psalm 139:14

From taken to Transformed by the renewing of my mind, in the Word of God  –   “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Romans 12:2

From forsaken to Friend of Jesus, FREE in Christ…our Risen Saviour, the only One and True Living God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  –   “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. … I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”  John 15:15

You…are not a mistake, not forsaken….You are a treasure…born in this moment of eternity, chosen by God to live…for such a time as this.

========================

Zechariah 3:1-4

¹ Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. ² And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”

³ Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. ⁴ So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

==============================

Because a friend asked me about the name “Jeshua” – I’ve also posted the following for clarification:

ABOUT JESHUA: – Jeshua or Joshua?
Taken From:  http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20061205_jeshua_or_joshua.html

This is not the Joshua of the conquest in Israel’s early history, but rather a priest who was part of the exiles who returned from Babylon under the decree of the Persian King Cyrus (Ezra 1:2 ff).

What makes this interesting is that most mainstream translations (KJV, NASB, NIV, REB, ESV, NRSV, HCSB, NLT etc.) render the name Jeshua instead of Joshua, and the Hebrew (יֵשׁ֡וּעַ) confirms this traditional rendering.