Jewelry: Like a Signet Ring

In the book of Haggai, the Lord chose Zerubbabel and He made him like his signet ring.  Zerubbabel carried the mark of God; therefore, Zerubbabel was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Today, the Lord marks those who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord with the same Holy Spirit.  For there is only One Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-6 New International Version [NIV] 1984).   

Ephesians 1:13 NIV 1984

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit….

I am marked by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.  The Lord gave me the Holy Spirit to guide me, to comfort me, and to instruct me in everything. When I receive the truth of God and obey the instruction of Jesus, I demonstrate true and genuine love of God.  I am like the signet ring of God.  For my obedient life is the mark of God’s truth in me.  The Apostle Paul speaks to this reality in

1 Corinthians 9:2 NIV 1984

Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

I am the seal of Jesus’ lordship over me when I love him and perform what I learned from him.  When I love Jesus, I love the Heavenly Father who sent him, and I am filled with the Spirit of Truth Who is “in all through all and over all” (Ephesians 4:6 NIV 1984).  

Jewelry: God’s Signet Ring

The signet ring is part of a verification method which seals important documents with an impression that identifies these documents as genuine ("Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia", n.d., p. 1).   The signet ring also bears witness to the authority of the wearer.  In the Bible, individuals who wear signet rings have reached a high level of spiritual achievement and advancement by overcoming difficult and problematic situations and hardships in their lives (Ester 8:10; Haggai 2:23 New International Version [NIV]1984). 

In Genesis, the story of Joseph reveals the life of an individual who endured one hardship after another with an optimistic attitude.  Joseph’s unwavering faith in God and positive outlook worked in union with God, which opened doors of opportunity in the complex and challenging environments of prison.  After many years of working in obscurity and anonymity, God promoted Joseph to a position second only to Pharaoh Ruler of Egypt (Genesis 41:39 NIV 1984). 

Pharaoh symbolized Joseph’s unwavering faith, spiritual discernment and his noble position and authority by dressing him in royal jewelry and clothing which mirrored these mental attributes.

Genesis 41:42 NIV 1984

Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

The story of Joseph illustrates that in the midst of the most difficult and trying circumstances of my life, I can remain faithful to God and maintain my optimism—that is, and expectant attitude that God will deliver me from my current situation to a better place in life if I don’t give in to a negative mental attitude.

References

(1984). The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan.

"Signet Ring." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 02 Sept. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signet_ring.

Jewelry and Wine at the Wedding

Jesus transformed water into wine at the wedding (John 2:1-8).  Water is symbolic of the Word of God, and wine represents the Spirit of God.  Therefore, the union of the word of God with the Spirit of God creates new wine or a new spirit within me.  I am a new creature in Christ Jesus; the old life is gone, and the new life has started (2 Corinthians 5:17).  As a new creature in Christ Jesus, God gives me new clothes an inner and outer attire. God does not put new wine in old wine skins (Mark 2:22).

Zechariah 3:3
Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.  The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.”

God gives me a new lavish wardrobe of righteousness; however, I must put on righteousness and remove the old dirty clothes of my past life.  Usually, spiritual people or the servants of the Lord help me to change out of the clothing of the old life and dress up into the luxurious clothing of Christ Jesus.  In fact, the bible compares my spiritual renewal and lifestyle change to a wedding.

Isaiah 61:10
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

The jewels of a righteous woman or man consist of lips of knowledge.  The mind of a person renewed with the knowledge of God speaks words of wisdom that transforms his or her life.  My life has undergone a transformation because I mediate and speak the word of God into my situation and circumstances.

The Spirit of God tells me to put on the sword of the spirit, the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).  Then tighten it up and clothe myself with splendor and majesty (Psalm 45:3).  The sword is an offensive and defensive weapon that is used in fighting battles against enemies.

Offensively, I use the sword of the spirit or the word of God when I am attacking a situation that I must conquer.  I am assertively mediating on and speaking the word of God.  In contrast, the defensive sword is used like the offensive sword; however, the aim of the defensive sword is to deflect attacks by enemies and prevent them from gaining any advantage over me.  When I knowledgably use the word of God as a sword, I have clothed myself with the glory and radiance of the Lord.

The Lord, Almighty God’s presence is everywhere and in everything that He creates; therefore, when I speak the word of God over my situation, God moves in everything and everybody concerned to work things out according to His plans and purposes for all (Romans 8:28-30).  The God of Infinite Intelligence cannot be mocked.  Every person reaps what he or she sows.  Therefore, I make sure that the words that I speak as a result of the meditations of my heart are pleasing to God and most beneficial to me.

Jewelry And A Woman of Honor

Jewelry honors the godly woman.  In the book of Ezekiel, God describes Jerusalem like a woman that He dearly loves.

Ezekiel 16: 11-14

I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.  So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth.  Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.  And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.

When the Israelites left Egypt, God instructed them through Moses to ask the Egyptians for things made from gold and silver (Exodus 11:2, 12:36).  Many of the things were jewelry such as “gold brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces” (Exodus 35:22).  The Israelites donated some of their jewelry to build and decorate the “Tent of God’s Presence” (Exodus 35:21 Good News Translation-GNT).

The Bible says in 1Corinthians 6:19 that my body is the temple of God.  I do not belong to myself; I belong to God.  God adorns His temple in opulence, which the book of Revelation describes.

Revelation 21:10 GNT

The Spirit took control of me, and the angel carried me to the top of a very high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City, coming down out of heaven from God and shining with the glory of God. The city shone like a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.  It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels in charge of the gates.

Moreover, the Apostle John, the writer of the book of Revelation goes on to describe the temple of the Lord.

Revelation 21:22 NIT

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb is its temple.  And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

The psalmist also describes the holy dwelling place of God.

Psalm 46:4-5

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Then the Apostle Paul gives an exact description of God’s dwelling place, God’s temple, God’s house.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV 1984)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The temple of God is holy and beautifully decorated with jewelry on the outside that reflects the jewelry on the inside.  I am the temple of the Lord a holy dwelling place of God in which the jewels of God are displayed.  The outside jewelry represents an inward awareness of who I am in Christ.  I wear bold, bright, colorful earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.  The jewelry on the inside of me consists of a mind full of spiritual understanding and discernment that leads to a life worthy of the Lord’s presence: a holy, respectable, and Spirit directed life.  

As I integrate the teachings of Christ Jesus into my daily life, my life evolves into a Spirit directed life.  Then the jewels of the Lord are reflected throughout my character.  The jewelry that I wear mirrors the image that I have in my mind.  Christ Jesus produces within me a self-image that He sanctions and honors--the beauty and splendor of the Lord.

Beauty: Ears Jewelry of the Soul

The ears are the jewelry of the body.  Ears hear and allow creative words of beauty into the inner mind .  Creative words of beauty may be represented by dazzling bright and colorful stones, crystals, and beads set in precious and semi-precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum.  Vibrantly colored beads and stones may also be set in inexpensive and elegant non-tarnishing materials. The ornaments of jewelry attached to the ears by studs, hoops, and drops express the inner consciousness of the wearer.

The ears represent my consciousness, which is the gatekeeper of my inner mind or sub-consciousness.  My conscious mind allows words that uplift and build me to increasing levels of spiritual development into my sub-consciousness.

Jesus said in John 10:1-2 that the man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him and the sheep listen to his voice.

Christ Jesus is the man who enters by the gate.  For Jesus said in John 15:7 “If you live in me and my words live in you, you may ask what you will and it will be done for you."  The words of Jesus or the truth of God enter into my mind through my ear, the gate.  The teacher of God’s truth is the watchman who opens the gate of my understanding.  I am one sheep who hears and accepts the truth of the Bible including the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Furthermore, Jesus said, “The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).  The words that Jesus speaks to me are spirit and life; therefore, the words that I speak to myself are spirit and life.  For Jesus said that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).

Beauty: Lips Jewels of the Heart

I wear jewelry to enhance my physical appearance, yet one word from my lips may increase my beauty far beyond the rich, bold color of a lipstick or the striking sparkle of a gold lip hoop. The Bible says that “Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel” (Proverbs 20:15 AMP).  My lips adorn me beautifully when words of knowledge flow from them into my circumstances.

My lips release the jewels of my soul—the words that I speak.  The words that I speak adorn my presence with beauty and peace. These words that come from my lips are deliberately spoken to create and maintain order in my life.  As God spoke and said let there be light and there is light everywhere (Genesis 1:3 AMP), so I speak and say let there be light in my environment—the light of spiritual knowledge and understanding (2 Corinthians 4:6 AMP).  I express this light when I live in Christ continually and speak words that build up my environment and not tear it down.  These words include praise and adoration of God and positive affirmations of who I am in Christ.  In Christ, I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:3 AMP).  I defeat the world through my faith in God—that is, whatever I need to defeat in my world, I know that it is defeated because God always causes me to win in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 2:14 AMP).  I win if I don’t give up.  I win if I am not stirred-up by what I see.  I must have the mental strength to relax and wait for whatever I want from God.  There is a process involved, and the process takes time.

In the process of time, the words that I speak from my lips honor and glorify God. Beautiful jewels stream from my lips and dress up my atmosphere like dazzling diamonds around my neck and glittering rhinestones on my dress.  These jewels come from my heart because I live in Christ Jesus and His words live in me.  Consequently, the words of Christ transform the way I think and the words that come out of my mouth (Romans 12:2 AMP).  I ask for what I desire, and what I desire is given to me (John 15:7 AMP). Great productivity comes through me because the teachings of Christ live in me. Therefore, God is exalted and respected because I demonstrate that I am a follower of Christ, and the beauty of God within me is further shown as the jewels of God flow out of me through the jewel of my lips.

References

John 12:35, 44-45; 15:1-8
Romans 8:3, 12:2
Galatians 6:9
2 Corinthians 4:2-6
Matthew 12:33-37

Beauty: A Fight to the Finish

How can I be beautiful when I feel defeated?  Beautiful pertains to that which gives me the utmost level of satisfaction mentally and physically.  When I feel unsatisfied, the effects permeate from my mind through my body.  I may look good even though there is something about me that is not quite right.  Usually, others can sense that something is wrong as well. I am out of balance.  My mind has a thought in it that should not be there.  I am going to have to fight to get the thought out of my mind to restore my equilibrium.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP, the Apostle Paul tells me that the weapons that I fight with are spiritual weapons that empower me to “Refute arguments, theories, reasoning, and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God.”  Moreover, I have the power to lead thoughts and not just follow whatever thought “pops” into my mind.  The Apostle Paul further says, “…and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One” (2 Cor. 10:5 AMP)
Now, I must be ready and willing to bring my own thoughts under control. All negative thoughts belong to me; therefore, I must bring them into submission and obedience.  I must stop thinking the negative thought immediately when I realize that I am thinking it.  Then I must replace that thought with what God says I should be thinking.

Philippians 4:8 AMP says that “whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things—fix your minds on them.” In other words, I must stop dwelling on the negative; I must stop thinking about what if this or that. What if I don’t get this money?  What if I don’t win this case?  Instead I replace those thoughts immediately with thoughts like these:

God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to me in abundance, so that I may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need, be self-sufficient—possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation (2 Cor. 9:8 AMP).

And

I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me (Romans 8:37 NKJV).

This all sounds good, but I must work to train myself to think correctly especially if I am conditioned to think about whatever comes to mind.  It is a fight to say no to negative thoughts that are contrary to what I really want.  It is a fight to look at what I believe and not what I see with my eyes and feel in my body.  This is why the Bible says to “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12 NKJV).  I must take hold of the eternal life that God has given to me and act like the spiritual being that God created me to be.  I know that God has given me everything that I ask for (John 15:7-8 NKJV), but there is a process involved in me receiving it, and I must be patient through the process.  Therefore, I fight to the finish.  I don’t give up when something does not come to me in five minutes or five months even five years.  If I want it, and I believed that I received it.  Then I will remain faithful to the promise (what I desire) until my faith moves it from the spiritual realm into my physical world.

Sometimes I have chosen to remain faithful to the negative, and that is exactly what I receive.  The Bible says that God is not mocked: whatever a man sows that is what he reaps (Galatians 6:7-9).  Therefore, if I have faith in the negative by constantly thinking about the negative, I receive the negative whatever that may be.  I do not stay in the negative long.  I learned to move quickly from a negative state of thought into the positive state of thinking.  Thinking positively leads me into mental and physical satisfaction.  The psalmist said, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 NKJV).

I want pleasure and the beautiful things in my life, and they all start and end in me.  Beauty is a faith fight.  I fight the beauty fight to the finish so that I remain in God’s light.