TRUE BEAUTY

THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD

Psalms 27:4 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.

Over the last few years there has been a flurry of Christian songs written that describe the beauty of the Lord. I wonder how many of the listeners (or even the song writers for that matter) have a clue to what the beauty of the Lord is. Actually the beauty of the Lord could be described as a manifestation of the inner virtue of the Lord. It is His very goodness, His nature, that is displayed and described by David in his songs. David saw God’s glory in the beauty of the scripture, he saw it in creation, he saw it in demonstrations of His outpoured presence, especially at the tabernacle. Most of all David saw this beauty in the prophetic glimpses of Christ Himself. He spoke of His beauty as the Shepherd in Psalms 23, He displayed His suffering in Psalms 22, and He portrayed His beauty as the Heavenly High Priest in Psalm 110. No wonder David spoke about one thing and that one thing was to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. Sam Storms speaks often of the beauty of the Lord. Here is something he said about God’s beauty displayed.

“In God alone are perfect proportion, harmony, unity, and diversity in delicate balance, stunning brilliance, and integrity. God is beautiful! If we were able to think of God as a painting, we would say that there are no random brush strokes, no clashes of colors. God is aesthetically exquisite. In God there is absolute resolution, integration, the utter absence of even one discordant element.
God has, as it were, placed Himself on display in the art gallery of the universe. He beckons His people, you and me, to stand in awe as we behold the symmetry of His attributes, the harmony of His deeds, the glory of His goodness, the overwhelming and unfathomable grandeur of His greatness; in a word, His beauty. God is infinitely splendid and invites us to come and bask in His beauty that we might enjoy Him to the fullest.”

This quest for the beauty of the Lord began for David when Samuel poured the oil on him and anointed him as the future king. 1Sam. 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.” From that day on, David was done. His taste of God’s beauty, displayed in His tangible anointing, had finished it for him. He had discovered what life was all about. He found that one moment in His presence was worth thousands of years elsewhere. Whether David was chasing sheep in the wilderness, fighting with his enemies, or prostrate before the Lord in the tabernacle, it made no difference. The anointing was on him now, he could see God’s beauty everywhere.

PURE PLEASURE

PURE PLEASURE

Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

All of us, from the butcher to the baker, from the politician to the drug dealer, from the professional athlete to the accountant, all of us are in the pursuit of pleasure. That’s what our hobbies are about, that’s what our careers of choice are about, it is what weekends are about. At the end of the day we are all looking for happiness. The funny thing about many Christians is this, they live in a constant state of denial. They will say that their life is about the glory of God. From that point, depending on their so called spirituality, they will have a secondary life where they allow a regimented amount of discretionary fun. In a separate spiritual category is their religious activities where God is supposedly glorified. The problem with this is that that kind of Christianity does not glorify God. Our serving of the Lord becomes our duty, in those other things is where we find our happiness. After everything is said and done, that is a great description of idolatry. We pursue joy in other things because we find no pleasure in Him. Sam Storms speaks powerfully about this in his book “Pleasures Evermore”. Here is something he said about this very dilemma.

“The glory of God and the gladness of your heart go together like love and marriage, like a horse and carriage! The glorious good news is that, contrary to what the church has been told for centuries, these are not mutually exclusive passions. If that is the case, then my principal motivation in life must be to increase my pleasure in God. In fact, my prayer every day is “Oh, God, mobilize all your power on my behalf to maximize my pleasure and delight in You.” Don’t misunderstand what I’m suggesting. I’m not saying that pleasure is put above God, nor that pleasure is God. I’m saying that our pleasure must be in God. The pleasure or satisfaction we seek is God Himself. God is not a tool for finding pleasure God is not the shovel, so to speak, with which we dig for buried jewels. God is Himself that treasure. The Christian’s pursuit of happiness is consummated when we find in God our all in all. He and He alone is our exceeding great reward. He is not a means to a higher end. He is the end.”

This discovery is where everything changes. When you find pleasure in God, in reading your Bible, in private worship, and in church; that is when everything comes alive. You experience true Christianity and it shows. You will find the happiness your heart aches for and God will receive the Glory that is due to Him. Your testimony will proclaim God’s greatness everywhere you go. This is the great discovery of life, that my happiness and God’s Glory are not two conflicted pursuits, they are actually impossible to separate.

THE KING’S CHAMBER

The King hath brought me into His chambers” Song of Solomon 1:4
Happy Wednesday by Parris Bailey

In this scripture the word chambers is plural, meaning the revelations of God are inexhaustible. The closer we get to God, it is as if the Holy Spirit is beckoning us to press into the scripture- “Eye hath not seen nor ears heard, neither entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” There is a place within our beings; where we meet Him alone in communion, prayer, repentance and fellowship. It is in this secret closet of prayer and communion, that we find grace to go through the difficult journeys of life.

Another chamber becomes the unbroken communion of fellowship with Him. We can learn to hide in the secret place of the Almighty from the winds of strife, and waves of unbelief.

What a privilege to enter his His chambers! Esther was set apart for months in preparation for the moment to be with the King. When we are in this precious place in the chamber, we are called to be a chambermaid, we are brides yet servants. A chambermaid is one that doesn’t take her eyes off the master. Jesus even said, I only do what my Father is doing. Close fellowship brings surrender, it happens in the secret place.

A chamber is a place of rest and refreshment. When the world is crowding in upon us, we can rest is his arms and lean upon His bosom. Heb. 10:19 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. There is a new way that he extends to us through the chamber of his blood, he beckons us to step in and taste this new life in the chamber.

Matthew 6:6 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” He is a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him, where, pray tell, do we seek Him? In our prayer closets or the chambers of our heart. We can find Him in our prayer closets everywhere and everyplace. Whether it be riding in our cars, singing at the top of our lungs to worship music, soaking in a hot tub,or praying in the Holy Ghost. And my favorite suggestion is when your doing the thing you enjoy the most, look up and enter into HIS PRESENCE! Yes, we should pray as we are quiet before him and close our doors to the distractions and voices of this world but more than anything, He bids us to sup at His table in His holy chamber.
I pray you have felt His Kisses, let Him draw you into a deeper place, a place of rest, enjoyment and refreshment in the Holy Ghost. You will not only never be the same, but you won’t stay the same!

CHASING THE WIND

CHASING THE WIND

Eccl. 1:2-3 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?

For some people, a husband(or wife), two kids, two cars, a nice house, and plenty of four day weekends is their definition of happiness. We are preached to constantly by the media, our friends, and, sadly, even from the pulpits, that our happiness consists in our accomplishments and our possessions. If you think that is true, then you need to go visit Solomon. He was the richest and wisest of all men and happiness eluded him until his search led him to pursue joy in God. Matthew Henry touched on this in his commentary, listen to his words on the source of happiness.

“Worldly people inquire for good, not for the chief good; all they want is outward good, present good, partial good, good meat, good drink, a good trade, and a good estate; but what are all these worth? Any good will serve the turn of most men, but a gracious soul will not be put off so. Lord, let us have thy favour, and let us know that we have it, we desire no more; let us be satisfied of thy loving-kindness, and will be satisfied with it. Many inquire after happiness, but David had found it. When God puts grace in the heart, he puts gladness in the heart. Thus comforted, he pitied, but neither envied nor feared the most prosperous sinner. He commits all his affairs to God, and is prepared to welcome his holy will. But salvation is in Christ alone; where will those appear who despise him as their Mediator, and revile him in his disciples? May they stand in awe, and no longer sin against the only remedy.”

“The only remedy” to man’s desperate and miserable condition is found in Christ alone. Our happiness can never be in His gifts, His talents, His riches, or His favor; joy is found in God Himself. Solomon had all of the riches imaginable at his disposal. He could have anything ( or anyone) that his heart desired. He could travel, he could vacation, he could throw great parties (it seems as if he tried all of those things in his search for joy). In all of his pursuits he came up empty, he said that life without God was all vanity and striving after wind. It seems as if we live in a generation who, like Solomon, has pursued happiness as hard as possible in the pleasures available in this world. At the end of the day everyone comes to the same conclusion, there is no lasting contentment in anything this world offers. Like Solomon said, the pursuit of happiness outside of God is like chasing the wind. Maybe you are tired of running in circles and chasing rainbows. If so, turn your heart toward the Lord, joy unspeakable is just a prayer away.

THE CHAMBER

The Chamber of His Presence
“The King has brought me into his chambers”- Song of Songs 1:4
Merry Monday by Parris Bailey

All through the Bible, there is a reoccurring theme as to a secret place of intimacy. God walked through the garden speaking to Adam and Eve, Moses hidden in the cleft of the rock while God’s glory passed by, the temple was built with a secret place called the Holy of Holies where His presence would reside. This secret place, the place of intimacy, is what makes a Christian a true Christian.

In the Song of Solomon, the bride is just beginning to learn about this special place, it was the chambers of intimacy with the King. There she learns to run, to follow readily and cheerfully, to give vent to His workings and co-operate with Him through out her whole life. It is in this chamber that we become free and converse with Him and learn to enjoy His presence, after all it is ultimate communion. In His presence is truly fullness of joy.
When we get nearer to God, it is an inner presence, not an outer. It is visible, not to the eye of the seen, but in the chambers of our heart. I believe it takes an utter consecration, a passion, a burning desire to give ourselves unreservedly to Him all the days of our life. Have you come to learn “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most HIgh, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty?” Many of us seem to wander around in the wilderness far too long still demanding our basic needs. I think it’s time for you to step into his Shekinah presence. His love will burn off the outer crust of the hardness of our hearts and melt away our fear and doubts. He becomes a chamber in our hearts, “A man shall be a hiding place for the wind and a covert from the tempest like rivers of water in dry places; and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

He speaks to us in the innermost chambers of our being. He comes to us in His word, through worship, sometimes in our circumstances or in the world around us. His power becomes ever increasing in us as we see our lives take on His likeness. The more we gaze into His face, the more we become like Him. “I will be to them a little sanctuary.” A.B. Simpson said, “Have you come into all this? Come this day into this inner chamber; let the pillar of the cloud and fire come a little nearer; let it descend from the clouds to the heart; let not God be to you somebody away up there, but somebody right here; not somebody you see in the book or the vision, but My presence in your bosom, in your being; the life of life, and love of love.”

He wants to take you into the innermost chambers of His heart and have you partake of His deepest Love. Let the Holy Spirit draw you and woo you into the very bosom of Jesus.

NEEDING HIM

TOTAL DEPENDENCY

1Cor. 1:30-31 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

“By His doing”, I love that. It is God who started this work of salvation in my life, it is He who continues to sustain it everyday, and of course it is God who will bring the work to completion in my life. He is the one who purchased me with His blood, He is the one who revealed Himself to me when I was lost, without hope and without God, and He is the one who continues to reveal Himself to me each day. We are totally dependent on Him in every part of our lives. Jonathan Edwards first published work was “God is Glorified by Man’s Dependence”. Here is a quote from that great message.

“It is by God’s power also that we are preserved in a state of grace. 1 Pet. 1:5. “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” As grace is at first from God, so it is continually from him, and is maintained by him, as much as light in the atmosphere is all day long from the sun, as well as at first dawning, or sun-rising. — Men are dependent on the power of God for every exercise of grace, and for carrying on that work in the heart, for subduing sin and corruption, increasing holy principles, and enabling to bring forth fruit in good works. Man is dependent on divine power in bringing grace to its perfection, in making the soul completely amiable in Christ’s glorious likeness, and filling of it with a satisfying joy and blessedness; and for the raising of the body to life, and to such a perfect state, that it shall be suitable for a habitation and organ for a soul so perfected and blessed. These are the most glorious effects of the power of God, that are seen in the series of God’s acts with respect to the creatures.”

Most of us look to our own strength and talent way too much in our endeavors for success in life. As a result, we take all of the credit when we have some measure of success. The down side is that looking to ourselves puts us in a place of great limitation. Our own limitations stare us in the face when we face the great challenges of life. We know in our hearts, we need His help to overcome, still our pride trudges on in self dependency. Only by God’s grace can we see that we need Him and only by His grace can we fall upon Him in total dependency. Total dependency brings us to the place of God’s intended double blessing, He is glorified and I am satisfied. So if you are facing challenges way bigger than you, rejoice, this may be His way of bringing you into that special place of total dependency on God.

RESPONDING

RESPONDING

Song 5:16 His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved,
And this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem!

Love demands a response. Nothing is more insulting than to ignore or thwart someone’s attempt to love you. One of the greatest fears of a young man is to let his feelings about someone be known, afraid he will be let down or rebuffed. When the feelings of affection are greater than our fears, then action is imminent. The fears of rejection bow their knee to the longing to be loved. That is the way it is with the Lord. He has gone to shocking measures to show His affection toward us. He has displayed His love through thee death of His Son. What else could He do to show Himself to us? Kelanie Gloeckler
has a powerful song called “Responding”. It is about the response of a hungry heart to the love of God. Check out these powerful lyrics.

RESPONDING

Anticipation comes up with the sunrise
You’re here again, waiting for me
Relentless love is the rhythm of Your voice, drawing me closer…
I wanna worship ‘til Your heart is satisfied
All I am, I give You gladly
Letting my heart overflow to adore You, beautiful Jesus…

I will not miss this moment to… tell You I love You
You are the song of my life

I’m weak in the heat of Your glance
And I resonate under Your hand
Responding to the One that my heart loves
With the breath that You breathed into me
In the fire of intimacy
Responding to the One that my heart loves

Today’s another day to obey and surrender
Bending to hear the secrets You breathe
And You delight to see how I respond to each new revelation…
So I’m searching for language to capture Your wonder
Fold You in worship as You consume me
Ev’ry cell of me sings when I see You, beautiful Jesus…

When I see the passion in Your eyes
You make all my senses fly
In Your presence I am alive
You make all my senses fly

I love the phrase, “relentless love”, it describes the passion the Lord has for us. What seems strange to me is the casual or apathetic attitude that is prevalent toward spiritual things in our modern world. We have strong feelings about everything, that is everything except the Lord. We have strong feelings about politics, we are passionate about our football teams, we even get fired up about our food. If anyone shows passion or excitement about spiritual things people look at you as out of step or even weird. We can dance and shout for our team, but dancing and shouting in the house of God? That is considered extreme. I guess we show emotion for the things we love. That brings us back to Kelanie’s song, what can of response have you given to God’s love? What have you gotten excited about lately. I guess how we respond is not that important. What is important is that when He calls that we do respond.

Sent from my iPad

THE PERFECT DAY

THE PERFECT DAY

Is. 60:19-20 “The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the LORD will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.

Have you ever experienced a perfect day? What would that look like to you? Would it be a day of solitude or a day spent with friends? Maybe it would be a long anticipated vacation day or maybe even Christmas day. For some it may just be a day spent home from work in bed. For Christians, there is an eternal day that will soon dawn in our lives. That will be the day that has no tomorrows, the day with no sunset. It is the day the prophets called the day of the Lord. What is it about that day that will make it special ? Will it be just the length of the day or will it be the golden streets or will it be our companions on that great day? All of those things are part of it but what makes the eternal day different from all others is quite interesting. Listen carefully to these words of Jonathan Edwards.

“The redeemed have all their objective good in God. God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption, He is the highest good, and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased. God is the inheritance of the saints; he is the portion of their souls. God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their Life, their dwelling- place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and glory. They have none in heaven but God; he is the great good which the redeemed are received to at death, and which they are to rise to at the end of the world. The Lord God is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem; and is the “river of the water of life ” that runs, and “the tree of life that grows, in the midst of the paradise of God.” The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will be what will for ever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another; but that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in any thing else whatsoever that will yield them delight and happiness, will be what shall be seen of God in them.”

Maybe you have been slightly let down after a long anticipated day arrives. Let me assure you, the coming day of the Lord will not leave anyone disappointed. It will be terrifying to some, but to the redeemed, it will be joy unspeakable. As you start another day, allow yourself some time to reflect on the coming eternal day, that is the day your heart is longing for.

THE LAST WILL #2

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT#2

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus met with His disciples for the last time before His death. At that meeting, He instituted the Lord’s Supper as well as gave His final promise to His disciples. You might say He gave to them His last will and testament. The significance of a will is determined by the possessions accumulated by the person who is dying. In this case, the Lord had very few earthly possessions, He had stored up all of His treasures in heaven. He was about to unveil the significance of this inheritance to His followers. Jonathan Edwards made some interesting observations about this. Listen to His powerful words.

“That it was his own, that which he had to give. It was the peculiar benefit that he had to bestow on his children, now he was about to die and leave the world as to his human presence. Silver and gold he had none: for while in his estate of humiliation he was poor. “The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests: but the Son of man had not where to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). He had no earthly estate to leave to his disciples who were as it were his family: but he had peace to give them. It was his peace that he gave them; as it was the same kind of peace which he himself enjoyed. The same excellent and divine peace which he ever had in God; and which he was about to receive in his exalted state in a vastly greater perfection and fullness: for the happiness Christ gives to his people, is a participation of his own happiness: agreeable to what Christ says in this same dying discourse of his, John 15:11, “These things have I said unto you, that my joy might remain in you.”

To the natural man, Jesus had nothing to offer. He had no property, no stocks, no money, no treasures or jewels. All He had was His promise. What was that promise? Actually it was the Promise of the Father. He said “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you”. Actually this promise was that the Holy Spirit would come to replace Him. He would carry out the same ministry Jesus had performed, the only difference, He would now work through each of the disciples. They were entering into a whole new world. They were about to enter into the world of the Holy Spirit. This world of the Spirit is where everything changes. Rather than looking to our earthly possessions as our inheritance, we become suddenly aware of another whole world. This is the world of the Spirit. Our new inheritance is not silver and gold but it is Christ Jesus, the pearl of great price.

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST

John 14:16-18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Have you ever been to the reading of a will? You have surely seen a portrayal of a last will and testament being read in a movie. It is not the sort of thing we look forward to, somebody close to us has probably died, and there we are at the uncomfortable, awkward event of splitting up the inheritance. Actually, if the person was poor the event is rather meaningless, there would be nothing to inherit. But if that person was wealthy, now that is a different story, suddenly everyone is interested, even people who have been invisible for years suddenly show up. This scripture describes the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. He was leaving His inheritance to His disciples. What did He have to leave behind? He may have not been rich according to worldly standards, but He had a heavenly inheritance to leave behind. Jonathan Edwards spoke powerfully about this event. Listen to what he had to say.

“These words are a part of a most affectionate and affecting discourse that Christ had with his disciples, the same evening in which he was betrayed, knowing that he was to be crucified the next day. Christ began his discourse, after he had partook of the Passover with them, after he had instituted and administered the sacrament of the supper, and after Judas was gone out, and none were left but his true and faithful disciples; whom he now addresses as his dear children. This was the last discourse that ever Christ had with them before his death. As it was his parting discourse, and as it were his dying discourse, so it is on many accounts the most remarkable of all the discourses of Christ, which we have recorded in our Bibles.”

Not everyone recognized the kind of wealth Jesus possessed. Most were more concerned with earthly possessions, they had little use for the kind of riches Jesus left behind. For those who had ears to hear, this would turn out to be the most incredible day of their lives. Jesus was leaving, but He wasn’t leaving them as orphans, He was leaving behind the Promise of the Father, or in other words, the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This experience would become the game changer for the disciples. From this day forward they would step into a new life characterized by the power and authority of God. They would lay hands on the sick and they would recover. They would speak in new heavenly tongues. In other words, they would carry on the work of Jesus Christ. Today, the inheritance is still available. Who can receive it? Those that recognize the difference between the world’s inheritance and that which belongs to the kingdom of God.