How beautiful are you?

   It ranks high on my list of awesome things.

My tour of Meramec Cavern in Sullivan, MO was well worth the fee and the time. We walked for over a mile beneath the earth’s surface. The cave was amazing, though dark, damp, and chill. The guide told us that the formations in front of us were millions of years in the making, minerals left behind by drops of water seeping through the rocks. Earth’s beauty captivates me- roses, towering mountains, pounding surf at the beach. And, there, hidden alongside of a river beneath a Missouri hill, was a different kind of God’s work!

Human beings are drawn to glory, aren’t we? We love beauty, through each of us would define that word somewhat differently. We are most like our God when we are making things beautiful – be that relationships, organizations, or the tiny plot of the earth entrusted to our stewardship. He’s made us to love His glory.  He’s called us by His Spirit to be people who radiate His glory. Do you? Do I?

Solomon, the king of Israel, built a Temple in Jerusalem. He spared no expense and the place was a wonder of the ancient world, resplendent with gold, designed to produce awe for the Name of the LORD. But, there was something about that place that was more than the stone, wood, and gold used to build it.  The ancient chronicler of Israel’s history noted this - "The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God." (2 Chronicles 5:14, NLT)  The Glory of the Presence!  That phrase caught my attention as I read the Word today.  Let it take hold of you. Do not rush past it. Ponder what that means.

What do people take away from an encounter with you, friend?  As a ‘temple of the Spirit of God’ I believe that the most beautiful thing can and should be His Presence.  We vary in our intelligence, our physical attractiveness. Some are blessed with sunny personalities, others with beautiful faces. A few of us are able to do amazing feats in some way.  But, all of us who are in Christ can radiate God’s glory, leaving others awed, not by us, but by the Spirit who lives in us. Yes, we are His holy temples.  That ancient temple fell into neglect decades after Solomon built it, the glory of the Lord departed as the people chased other gods and filled that place with clutter. A boy king, Josiah, cleaned it out and restored the former glory!  In much the same way, our lives can become cluttered with other things, His radiance obscured by our sin, our willfulness, even our love of other ‘gods.’

Paul teaches us that God has a plan to reveal His beauty through us and in us.  He writes to us, inspired by the Spirit, to say that “Christ’s love makes the church (you and me) whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)   

We used to sing a chorus in church that prayed -
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His wonderful passion and purity;

O my Savior divine, All my being refine,

‘Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

Make it your prayer today. Other ‘beauty’ in our lives will fade with time and age. But, the splendor that comes from a heart and mind full of Jesus’ love never fades, growing only more beautiful as time passes. So, what glory will you pursue?  Will it be the pretty face, the perfect body, the awesome accomplishment?  Or, will it be the glory of God?

Here is a word from the Word. "If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way." (2 Corinthians 3:9-10, NLT)  "For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:17-19, NLT)

Lord, make Yourself glorious in us. Amen.

______________

Beautiful Things

All this pain

I wonder if I'll ever find my way

I wonder if my life could really change

At all

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground

At all

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground

Out of chaos life is being found

In You

You make me new You are making me new

You make me new You are making me new

Lisa Gungor | Michael Gungor

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 Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

Faith Discovery Church

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