When I stand on the deck and look
out over the acre and half I call home, I see beauty. When I moved here last year, I saw work, lots
of it. But, with trimming, pulling, weeding, and planting it’s become
attractive. Our lawn and our heart, alike, demand effort to create beauty!
Weeds grow quite well without fertilizer, don’t they? Similarly, sin flourishes
without encouragement. When the rain does not fall, the grass in my lawn dries
up, but the crabgrass does just fine! Without consistent water of the Word, the
fruit of the Spirit withers in my life, too; even as the evidence of the sinful
nature (impure thoughts, eagerness for
lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility,
quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the
feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy- Galatians
5:19) does just fine!
Isaiah describes the beauty that the Spirit of God will cultivate in us if we love Him. He will "bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:3, NIV) Now, note the response of those so loved. "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. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." (Isaiah 61:10-11, NIV)
Is your life allowing for the display of the“beauty of His holiness?” Don’t confuse the pinched, self-created ‘holiness’ taught by some with the real holiness of the Lord. There is a kind of holiness that focuses on the superficial, that is built solely around rigid regulations of human behavior. Jesus, when interacting with the Pharisees, who specialized in external forms of ‘holiness,’ said that they were whitewashed tombs!” In scathing terms He rejected their ‘holiness’ as anything but good or godly."Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, … You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required." (Matthew 23:5-6, 23, The Message)
There is, for those who walk in the Spirit, the promise of greater Glory! Give the Lord full access to every corner of your life. Invite Him to prune and beautify your heart. "One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life " (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3, The Message) "God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside." (1 Thessalonians 4:7, The Message)
Isaiah describes the beauty that the Spirit of God will cultivate in us if we love Him. He will "bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." (Isaiah 61:3, NIV) Now, note the response of those so loved. "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. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." (Isaiah 61:10-11, NIV)
Is your life allowing for the display of the“beauty of His holiness?” Don’t confuse the pinched, self-created ‘holiness’ taught by some with the real holiness of the Lord. There is a kind of holiness that focuses on the superficial, that is built solely around rigid regulations of human behavior. Jesus, when interacting with the Pharisees, who specialized in external forms of ‘holiness,’ said that they were whitewashed tombs!” In scathing terms He rejected their ‘holiness’ as anything but good or godly."Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, … You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required." (Matthew 23:5-6, 23, The Message)
There is, for those who walk in the Spirit, the promise of greater Glory! Give the Lord full access to every corner of your life. Invite Him to prune and beautify your heart. "One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life " (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3, The Message) "God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside." (1 Thessalonians 4:7, The Message)
_______________
Beautiful One
Beautiful One
Wonderful, so wonderful, is Your unfailing love.
Your cross has spoken mercy over me.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
No heart could fully know,
How glorious how beautiful You are!
Beautiful One, I love,
Beautiful One, I adore,
Beautiful One, my soul must sing.
Powerful, so powerful, Your glory fills the skies.
Your mighty works displayed for all to see,
The beauty of Your majesty awakes my heart to sing,
How marvelous how wonderful You are.
You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew,
You captured my heart with this love,
'Cause nothing on earth is as beautiful as You!
Tim Hughes
© 2002 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI
Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License # 810055
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