Recently I wrote here about "Beauty, Art, and God". Then I wrote primarily about how God loves beauty and how He is a Master Artist as all of creation testifies. This weekend I will focus on the beauty of the Lord Himself, and how we should, as true believers, reflect His beauty and His attributes in our conduct and in all of our life.
"And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." - Psalm 90:17
"One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; 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
First, just what does it mean to say "the beauty of the LORD"?
Matthew Poole's Commentary tells us it is "His favorable countenance, and gracious influence, and glorious presence."
The word translated "beauty" here means pleasantness, then beauty, as well as splendor. Holiness is also the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 110:3), as is His goodness (Zechariah 9:17). You can pretty much sum it all up by saying that "The harmony of all His attributes is the beauty of His nature"; as Matthew Henry tells us.
Here is a song video about the beauty of the Lord:
In Psalm 90:17 it says "let the beauty of the Lord be upon us." This not only means the Lord's blessing upon us, but also that we may endeavor to exhibit some of the Lord's beauty and attributes in our own speech, conduct, and attitudes....that we may reflect God's holiness, His goodness, His love, His patience, and so much more. This becomes more manifest as we grow spiritually to maturity in our walk with the Lord. His beauty will inspire us to be filled with love and gratitude towards Him, and to be on fire to witness to others about the Gospel; to be reflectors of His beauty.
When we became true believers, we became a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:" - Colossians 3:10. This is possible because at salvation God changes the believer's nature. Therefore we can reflect the Lord's beauty by having a holy nature; a heart that has been transformed; a godly life will be the outcome of our conversion. And a godly life is a wonderful reflection on the beautiful, saving power of our Lord.
"For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn amongst many brethren." - Romans 8:29
Romans 8:29 is referring to believers having the moral conformity to the likeness of God's Son.
All of these holy attributes we acquire at conversion (although it takes time to mature spiritually, the possibilities are there) because at conversion we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to live a godly life and to reflect the beauty of the Lord.
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise," - Ephesians 1:13
Following is a sermon clip (about 2 minutes in length) by Charles Spurgeon on being reflectors of the Lord's beauty:
The beauty of the Lord is also found in redemption and, as stated previously, in His creation; as well as the revelation of His character and work in Scripture. If you are a true believer, you need to endeavor to develop a strong, close, personal and intimate relationship with the Lord through Jesus Christ, and that will empower you to grow in maturity and to be filled with love and devotion to God like you have never experienced before. In order to have this close relationship, you need to be in prayer often; you cannot have a good relationship with someone you never communicate with. Daily reading of God's Word is important as well, for God "speaks" through the Bible. You get to know more about Him and Jesus when you read His Holy Word, thereby growing closer to Him.
If you are an unbeliever, you need to turn to God before it is too late. None of us know whether we will be alive tomorrow, or even in our next few minutes. Now is the time to give your life and devotion to the Lord, so you will not suffer the coming 7 year Tribulation and eventually hell itself.
Pray and ask God for forgiveness. Honestly repent of your sins and do not continue living in sin; Believe that Jesus is the Savior and only through Him is eternal life in heaven possible. Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that His shed blood on the cross can wash your sins away; redeem you.
Jesus is waiting with open arms of love and forgiveness if only you will come to Him in full faith and belief and in repentance.
Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us, (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." - 1 John 4:16
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17
