“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
Last weekend I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While there are a variety of reasons why people go to museums, I go purely to enjoy the beautiful objects. My favorites are the paintings by the old masters and the bronze pieces. On this trip I focused on the paintings, especially those with rich color and depth. It was relaxing and rewarding. However, no matter how much I appreciate fine art, architecture, or any other work created by mankind, they all pale when compared to the works of God.
“O Lord, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.” (Psalm 104:24) Sunrises, Sunsets, and magnificent landscapes all call me to worship. As Psalm 19 and Romans 1:20, the handiwork of God proclaims His glory and His power leaving man with no excuse to deny His existence or attributes. I love to read both Psalm 104 and Job 38-41 for they remind of the depth of God’s creativity, power and wisdom. They also remind me that my power and wisdom pale in comparison and that I should always look to Him for strength and guidance rather than trying to work independently of Him. However, as wondrous as this world is, it is temporary; it is not the final work. It is more akin to the sketches an artist may make before picking up the paint brush. While they have beauty in their own right, they are not the finished work.
“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7) When we share the gospel, testify to God’s goodness in our lives to encourage another who is struggling, or meet a spiritual, emotional, or physical need of another in godliness, it is a beautiful thing. In those acts, we share with others the goodness of our God and either strengthen the body of Christ or proclaim Christ to those who do not yet have a relationship with Him. Human kindness is a beautiful thing.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) God has created each of us uniquely and orchestrated a plan for our lives. While we may not feel it or see it, we are beautiful in His sight and are exactly who and what He wants us to be. No matter how much our disease has disfigured us or how much weight we feel due to the trials of our lives, we are still beautiful. Like a seed or a nut that has its own unique form and beauty that pales in comparison to the plant or tree that it will become, our earthly bodies are temporary and will be replaced with perfect bodies that we will enjoy for eternity. Finally, through the difficulties of this life, He is working on our souls and our relationship with Him to provide us with inner beauty that is wholly devoted to Him.
“But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13) Revelation gives us a beautiful description of what Heaven will look like. I know that some take the description literally while others take it figuratively. Personally, I fall in the latter group as I believe that in this life, we are incapable of understanding how glorious it will truly be. Our minds and experience are just too limited and finite. Either way, the real beauty of Heaven will be the glory of God and abiding with Him in perfection where righteousness reigns.
Life can be tough, and leave its scars on us spiritually, emotionally and physically. However, in this life there are also many beautiful things mixed in. We can choose to dwell on the difficulties or we can dwell on the beauty that comes from the hand of God whether directly or indirectly through the kindness of another. When we trust in God’s plan for us and allow Him to draw us closer to Him, we will find greater enjoyment both in this life and the next. Further, we have hope in the future with a new body, in the presence of our God where righteousness reigns and pain and death no longer exist.
Allow the light of Christ to illuminate your soul and cause you to focus on what is lovely, excellent, of good repute and worthy of praise.
Will