Beautiful People

It probably comes as no surprise to learn that people who are attractive by social norms enjoy many advantages in life. They are generally perceived as being more intelligent, healthier, and happier. This one really surprised me - pretty people are considered more trustworthy and honest! Organizations led by people, men and women, who are physically attractive generally are more profitable over time. Studies prove that  attractive individuals are more likely to be hired, promoted and receive higher salaries.  Apparently we are, in spite of all our advances in knowledge, still owned by basic biology! 

While we do not all get to be ‘pretty’ we can become beautiful people! That’s a hopeful word for me. How about you?

Jesus, announcing His ministry as the Savior/Redeemer, used words of promise from Isaiah. "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to 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 61:1-3, NIV)  How I love that promise! The bruised, the broken, the downtrodden, the ignored, the unlovely - find new hope in their Savior Who makes them truly beautiful from the inside out.

Unlike us, God is not impressed by a pretty face. Remember the story of the selection of David to become king of Israel? The preacher, Samuel, was directed by the Spirit to the home of Jesse. When he saw the first-born son, Eliab, he was immediately impressed and thought “Surely this is God’s anointed one!”  The Spirit then told him “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions. (*the heart!)” (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT)  David, the youngest son was nearly overlooked by his family and the prophet, but not by the Lord God who knew him.

Jesus, in the Beatitudes, spoke of a beautiful life in terms that are at complete odds with our natural way of thinking. He said that the poor, the mourner, the meek could enjoy the full favor of God’s blessings! In another passage, He promised that in God’s kingdom ‘the first will be last.’  Those who live full of themselves, proud of their status and full of Self-confidence, miss out on the beauty that God creates in those who are humble, who love the things of the Spirit, who are changed into persons in whom is found the ‘display of His splendor.’

Has your soul been broken by hate? 
Have you been abused, misused, or ignored leaving you without hope in life? 
Does regret for the past turn you inward, casting a shadow over you that hides joy?
Does fear hold you captive, causing you to live behind walls?

There is a Savior who loves you!  When we trust Him, giving ourselves to Him, He makes us whole again and gives us a kind of inner beauty that is unrelated to our body symmetry or how others see our face! Bow your head and invite Him to remake you from the inside out.  This Word will become your word - you will be "known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." (1 Peter 3:4, NLT)

Here is the word from the Word. I pray we will allow Him to make us the kind of people known not for a pretty face but a beautiful heart! "Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more." (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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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

 

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

© 2009 worshiptogether.com songs

CCLI License # 810055

 

Take Jesus with you to work

I deeply appreciate a job well done, finished with the aim of being the best possible. One of my regrets in life (we all have them, don’t we) is the kind of student I was in my high school years. Too focused on just ‘getting grades’ I often just did what was necessary to get a “B” instead of giving the extra time to earn the “A” that was within my reach. With maturity came the realization that the real motivation for putting in effort, be it in school, at work, or in my home, was the joy of being my personal best for God’s glory. The reward offered by grades or money was secondary.  There is a real satisfaction to found in the knowledge that I have done my best, using my abilities and opportunities in a way that reflects commitment.  

The temptation to measure our work and/or accomplishments by ‘the numbers’ is always there for us, isn’t it? When we work for a title, or more money, or for some award it is quite possible to only enough to win approval. Even worse, we can become driven, not knowing the sense of contentment that comes from knowing who we are, what we are capable of doing, and being guided by a choice to serve well.   

This choice for excellence is a spiritual matter, for in our best effort we honor Christ, our Lord!

Paul, writing to the lowest rung of the society of his day, said this: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,  because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8)  What’s the principle? “Do your personal best, for the sake of Christ!”

So, let me ask you, do you take Jesus with you to work?  
Is your day to day life, your effort, a reflection of your status as God’s child, reflecting well on the One you claim as Savior and Lord?

I am both encouraged and sobered by the promise of His reward for the way I live; encouraged because it promises no effort is overlooked, sobered because He knows me inside out! "For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Romans 14:10-12, NIV) No one will steal the credit for your work before God. There will be no one to blame if you have failed to do your best with what God has given you; one coin, two sides.

The world in which we live is filled with people who learn how to play the game, who know how to look good. Our God is unimpressed by lengthy meetings that produce nothing, by 'puffed' reports that impress others but that hide scarce results. We need to know that God's work is our work!  Our Father has invested in us, loving us, saving us, gifting us. Now, how will we live?  It is a worthy question.

Here's a vivid metaphor about building a quality life. Take it with you today and pray to do ‘your utmost for His highest.’ (Chambers)
"No one can lay any other foundation than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. 

But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames. Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:10-17, NLT)

PS - This judgment is not about 'getting to Heaven.' That's a finished work, secured by the grace of Jesus Christ who granted us eternal life. This is about how we live for God each day.

What kind of temple are you building, my friend?

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Build My Life

Worthy of ev'ry song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You

Jesus the name above ev'ry other name
Jesus the only one who could ever save
Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You We live for You

Holy there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Kaple Music; Capitol CMG Genesis; Housefires Sounds; Said And Done Music; sixsteps Music; Thankyou Music; Vamos Publishing; worshiptogether.com songs; Martin, Karl Andrew; Bethel Music Publishing

The Acceptable Sin?

(One from the archives, a reminder for this day)

The sign stood along the highway, proudly embellished with an American flag, declaring – “Bill’s American. English spoken here.”  The owner of the service station was playing off of the fact that most of the gas stations in NJ are staffed by men from India who speak very little English. (Jerseyans can’t pump their own gas, by law!)  I don’t know Bill and have no idea if he thought his sign was funny or if he hoped it would attract more customers, but I always read it as an expression of bigotry, a way to say, “They are not us.”  Now that same station is owned and staffed by Asian immigrants who, ironically, speak very poor English! I think it is a kind of poetic justice.

Segregation, supported by institutional racism, was an acceptable sin for many Americans. I say ‘was’ hopefully, knowing that racism is very much alive and well. The difference now is that there are many voices that challenge it! Today we celebrate the life of a man who used his God-given gifts to reshape America’s attitudes towards race.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor in Birmingham, Alabama who saw the evil of segregation and named it for what it was - sin. His vision of non-violent resistance spared many lives as the civil rights movement gained momentum. Ever the preacher, Dr. King drew inspiration from the Scripture, using the picture words of the Old Testament prophets to great effect.  He loved to quote Amos, "let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream." (Amos 5:24, KJV)  

Perhaps his greatest gift to us was the formation of a new vision for America, best summed up in what are his most memorable speech which we now call, “I have a dream.” Few, if any, knew the strength of his words when they were spoken that day from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 23, 1963, but his vision reshaped these United States.  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Where we see divisions by class, or religion, or race, or sex we must challenge it. We cannot allow this sin to become acceptable. It is a subtle one that hides itself behind all kinds of words. Being ‘different’ becomes being of lesser value. Judgment of behavior becomes a reason to reject persons. Give such thoughts no standing. 

Disciple, in Christ there is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’  In Him we ALL stand on equal ground. "You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28, NIV)  The Scripture insists that how we love God and how we love other people are inseparable. We cannot claim to love God and hate others!

I leave this word from the Word with you today. As you ponder it, let God use it to shape your heart and mind.
"With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:6-8, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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