Tag: Thankfulness

The Beauty of the Lord our God

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“And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17)

“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us!”  Truly a wonderful and blessed thought for the present moment – a psalm of eternity containing blessings for the temporal life which I live, move in, and have my very existence.  I yearn to be satisfied early with God’s mercy so that I may rejoice and be glad all my days (90.14).  Visible demonstrations of God’s mercy and lovingkindness toward me convey His gracious presence even though He seems so far away at times.  When the beauty of the Lord our God is upon me, I look toward that eternal Day when I shall truly see Him unfettered by my sin which demands His mercy each and every day within the temporal realm.

Whole volumes are given over to the study of God’s character in the pages of Scripture.  It is a pursuit that accomplishes what seem to be two opposing goals:  drawing me closer to the Lord while at the same time letting me know that I’ve only scratched the surface of my understanding of Him.  The fool denies eternity placed in his heart.  He will worship none other than himself.  Therefore, God gives him over to his obstinate folly, and he remains without excuse.

Design within the creation, variety, pleasure, and beauty all point to the glory of God (Psalm 19).  The creation demonstrates that God is all-wise and all-powerful.  Those looking for answers to ultimate questions will not find them by ruminating over dead poets and philosophers.  These answers come from the illuminating work of God through His Spirit.  Those of us viewed as fools by the world have a wondrous revelation of God in His Word.  Those deemed as wise by the world have these things hidden from them.  It’s quite sad.  They grope aimlessly for some new twist or turn in the meanderings of men.

But God is not manifested within the creative order alone.  I see Him in the pages of mankind’s history.  He is sovereign.  Everything is rushing toward the Day when He shall be all in all (1 Corinthians 15.28).  I see Him beautifully weaving and stitching together not only history in general but also my very life.  My times are in His hands.  This is the beauty of the Lord our God!  He has redeemed me for His glory and so I worship Him in the beauty of His holiness and for His glory.  The greatest goal of all creation is to bring glory to the Creator.  And the Lord Jesus Christ has made this possible.  Jesus is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light (that of the Father), whom no man has seen or can see (again, a reference to the Father), to whom be honor and everlasting power” (1 Timothy 6.14-15).

We see the Father in the Son who is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1.3).  The beauty of the Lord our God is found in the Person but also the work of Jesus Christ.  His painstaking work of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His redemptive work upon the Cross of Calvary, and even His work of judgment from His glorious throne in the yet future Millennial Kingdom represent the beauty of the Lord our God in perfection.  Men journey with me and hear whispers of God, but I see what they cannot see.  You as a child of God see what they cannot see.  That is why it seems that the myriads of people who hear the same words from the Scripture we do remain deaf and dumb toward them while we are humbled and our faith deepened by the very same words.

The Lord’s beauty is conveyed through light shining out of darkness into our very hearts in order to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).  Jesus mediates the beauty of the Lord God.  He has shown us light that the world cannot see.  Not only this, but He has given to us the opportunity to reflect that light and thereby glorify God.

The primary reason for gathering for worship on Sunday is so that we may behold the beauty of the Lord.  “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)  Our yearning, broken, contrite, and dependent hearts expect satisfaction in the beauty of the Lord.  So, the venue of our idea of a sanctuary has changed.  But we still desire to see God’s power and glory (Psalm 63.2).

Second, mankind is created in the image of God (Genesis 1.26-27).  But that image is much maligned.  We must experience a new birth so that we might “put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4.24).  It is the beauty of the Lord that we behold with unveiled face.  It is the beauty and glory of the Lord that shines forth and reflects or radiates from our lives as a mirror reflects the image of a man.  What happens inside of us is the transformation from glory to even greater glory and so forth.  It is the sanctifying work of the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3.18).  This verse communicates a continual process until we are made perfect as our Father is perfect in Heaven above.

We look toward the Day as we press toward the mark until “we come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4.13).  May the Lord grant that His beauty be upon us today and to a greater degree tomorrow.  Let us grow in grace and flourish in holiness!  Pray that we “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18–19)

The goal is that nothing in our temporal life affects our pursuit of this fullness.  Even tribulation works patience, experience, and eventually a deep and abiding hope – a confident expectation that God will make good on His promises.  Trials reveal deeper problems within us.  They refine us.  So, we bear up underneath them in the school of affliction knowing that God will use them to show us His glory in greater detail and to conform us to the image of His Son.

Our pursuit of holiness is our pursuit of God.  Our pursuit of mercy is our pursuit of God.  Our pursuit of any perfection of God is our pursuit of Him.  Therefore, time spent in Scripture and in prayer within the sanctuary (wherever that may be) keeps me balanced and growing.  May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us!

An Indescribable Gift

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“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:10–15)

I grew up in economically challenging times …relatively speaking.  I had plenty to eat each day and shelter to protect me from midwestern winters.  Imagine a Sudanese father longing to provide food and shelter from the heat for his own son but unable to do so.  America has been blessed with many charitable organizations whose purpose it is to relieve distress and hunger at every turn.  Every need we can think of is provided for those humble enough to accept it.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)

However, as noble as these causes are, if they do not provide for eternal and temporal needs, then they fail to demonstrate true compassion and grace.  Christians would do well to remember this this Christmas season.  Temporal gifts are merely describable; eternal gifts are indescribable.

God provides in abundance in this country.  Believers ought to pray that God not only supply but multiply material resources in proportion to our willingness to generously give them away.  God provides so that we might be generous and compassionate.  Thanksgiving is a result of sacrificial, grace-filled giving.

God makes it clear for us:  as we provide the needs of our brothers and sisters, many thanksgivings abound to Him (9.12).  Serving and supplying for the needs of others glorifies the God who created us (9.13).  Our obedience to the Gospel of Christ and our liberal, generous sharing with with those of the household of faith (and even with all men for that matter, see 9.13) provide evidence that the grace of God is with us.   Then, our generosity leads to intercession from those for whom we have cared; they long for us because they see the exceeding grace of God in us (9.14).  So, 2 Corinthians 9:15 serves as the penultimate statement for God’s plan in grace-giving.

God would certainly want us to support those who would provide relief for the body and the soul of those downtrodden.  Better yet we ought to provide for the physical and spiritual relief of others directly.  We should do so as evidence of the grace of God working in and through us.

Grace-giving starts in our local churches and is governed by the multitude of godly counselors within them.  Good churches are magnanimous churches which relieve the poor, magnify the grace of God, preach the Gospel, and glorify God.

Relieving the Poor

Solomon wrote, “All the brothers of the poor hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him!  He may pursue them with words, yet they abandon him” (Proverbs 19.7).  If God chooses to give you wealth, you must become a protector of the poor to be a godly man.  You cannot abandon them!  If I myself am impoverished, my affliction may separate me from a friend, but it will not separate me from my God!  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Magnifying the Grace of God

Make no mistake!  God’s exceeding grace is at work in us strengthening our hands, confirming the needs around us, and providing through us.  How true the statement of our Lord Jesus:  “It is more blessed to give than it is to receive.”  The one who waters is indeed watered abundantly himself.  Any sacrifice of love we make becomes a spiritual feast for us.  Imagine relieved poor people knocking on Heaven’s door and interceding for us.  Do you think that is a small thing in the eyes of God?  Just as the blood of the slain cries out for vengeance; even so, the cries of the oppressed are for our blessing.  God will hear!  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Preaching the Gospel

We herald the good news that God has given us the gift of His Son, the only begotten One.  Christ is the love-gift of the Father.  The sacrifice of His life’s blood for our redemption cannot be repaid.  Yet as believers, gratitude drives us to try.  This truly is what thanksgiving is all about for the believer.  Grateful hearts filled with the grace of God are energized to meet the needs of others.  It is a wonder that God would allow us this privilege.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Glorifying God 

We cannot glorify God in the abstract.  We must know what it means and how it happens.  A Christian glorifies God by internalizes the character of God communicated to us by His grace.  Once this occurs, inward transformation takes place and outward giving abounds.  I cannot add anything to the character of God; I can only reflect what is already there.  As a believer, I yearn to be a sacrifice pleasing to God.  This should be your aim as well.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

This thanksgiving, realize that stewardship of what God has allowed you to have is key in moving forward in your relationship with Him.  May God place upon our hearts a burden to tenderly meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ …the needs of all men.  We do not say that we can meet every need, but we can meet those God enables us to meet.  And we must remember that if we sow sparingly, shall we not also reap sparingly?  But if we sow bountifully, we shall also reap bountifully.  Blessed are those who learn to give.  Blessed are the truly thankful.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!