Good morning! I've chosen a new theme for the next few weeks: Nature. This week, as trees are once again flourishing, plants are growing daily in our gardens, and the birds and bunnies are abundant in our hedgerows, we will consider how Nature magnifies God and how it declares His greatness?
"The
heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech or language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their sound has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tent for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat."
(Psalm 19:1-6 NKJV)
As small
children, our very first understanding of God comes from our joy of nature -
the feel of the cool grass under our toddling feet, the bright endless sky, the
squint-causing sunshine, the soft breezes that carry bubbles and dandelion fuzz
in swirls around us, and the feel of oh-so-fluffy, furry soft animals.
All of it
declares the greatness of the Master Creator. All of nature magnifies God to us!
"For
since the creation of the world
His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made,
even His eternal power and
Godhead [deity]..."
(Romans 1:20 NKJV)
Step
outside this week, or sit where you can look out a window, and appreciate the
beauty God has created. Let it tell you of His mighty power and His wondrous
creativity!
All of
creation declares God's greatness. We, as part of God's creation - the part He
declared as "very good" (Genesis 1:31) - should make use of EVERY opportunity
to magnify Him to others!
This week, we will look at a spiritual song that teaches us as we sing:
"Let
the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen"
Written by Albert W T Orsborn (1916)
Stanzas 2-3 written by George L Johnson (1934)
Let the
beauty of Jesus seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity.
May His spirit divine all my being refine;
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
When
somebody has been so unkind to you,
Some word spoken that pierces you through and through,
Think how He was beguiled, spat upon and reviled,
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you.
From the
dawn of the morning to close of day,
In example, in deeds, and in all you say,
Lay your gifts at His feet, ever strive to keep sweet,
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you.
Jesus
exemplified the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We need to walk as He walked (1 John 2:3-6) so that the fruit of the Spirit can be developed in us as well!
This
song, I believe, is based on 1 Peter 2:18-24. I encourage you to read this
passage. I will highlight some of the thoughts written there:
First, Peter speaks of servants submitting to their master, the kind masters and also
the harsh. He says in verse 19, "...this is commendable if because of
conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully."
"...when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is
commendable before God." (v. 20)
What??
Why??
Here's
why: "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that we should follow His steps." (v.21)
Jesus
committed no sin
There was no deceit (deception/fraud) found in Jesus' mouth
When Jesus was reviled (criticized in an angry, abusive, and insulting way), He
did not revile in return
When Jesus suffered, He did not threaten
Jesus committed Himself to "Him who judges righteously"
Think
about that for a moment. Jesus was in the middle of a trial for His life and
saw and heard all the hate-filled lies being said about Him and instead of reacting,
He committed Himself to the only One who knew the truth - the One who judges
righteously - His Father in heaven.
Do we trust that God knows the truth? Do we trust that He knows our heart and
our clear conscience in a matter when we are being accused of wrong? Do we
commit to Him in these situations, knowing He is the righteous judge who sees
what man does not/cannot?
Jesus
bore our sins on the cross. Why did He do that? Why did He suffer wrongfully?
Why did He silently allow these things to happen to Him?
So that
we, having died to sins (Romans 6:2-4), might live for righteousness!! It was
by Jesus’ suffering/death that we have a hope - that we have healing!!
How do you live for righteousness?
You follow Jesus' example!
Though you may face times of struggle and hurt you do not revile nor spit out angry, abusive, insulting words. You do not threaten - nor even think it in your heart! You trust that God sees and God knows, allowing you to be still. You let
the beauty of Jesus be seen in you!
Pray to
the One who judges righteously! Ask Him for wisdom and help to live like Jesus,
in the beauty and holiness of humble obedience!
Meditate
on 1 Peter 2:18-14 this week and let this song remind you of Jesus' beautiful
example and His desire for you to live for righteousness!!
