|
|
That's Beautiful!
|
|
Back in 1818, the
poet John Keats said, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever: It’s
loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness…" (Endymion,
Mk. I, line 1, 1818). Beauty has been on my mind now that spring is here.
I read about the revival of the musical Oklahoma, which opened in the dark war year of 1943 with the famous song, "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!" Just across the page, I read about this year’s award-winning movie, "A Beautiful Mind." Beauty is on American minds. Beauty has always been on God’s mind, though His view is not always our view (I Sam. 16:7). When God created, His record for our learning said that it was "very beautiful" – the Greek translation of the Hebrew often translated "very good" (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25 & 31; cf. I Tim. 4:4). This word for "beautiful" is often translated "good" or "fine" since it involves more than merely subjective taste (Gr. kalos, Strong #2570). It involves health, power, vigor, and excellence. It described a condition of total health, wholeness and order in either external appearance or internal disposition [Gerhard Kittel (ed.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Volume III, Eerdmans, 1965, pp. 536-556, esp. p. 537]. So what is beautiful to God? Jesus is beautiful. He was not "movie-star" handsome – He wasn’t supposed to be (Is. 53:2). But He is the beautiful shepherd who lay down his life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11), knows His sheep, and whose sheep know Him (Jn. 10:14). Jesus’ self-sacrificial fellowship is beautiful. This kind of reign by God is compared to a beautiful pearl that inspires complete and sacrificial investment (Matt. 13:45). It makes sense that an Overseer’s work in the church is called beautiful (I Tim. 3:1) as is the status of special Servants who serve beautifully (I Tim. 3:13). And Jesus said how ugly it is to be otherwise. He said that it would be beautiful for anyone who causes "little ones" to stumble if they were tied to a heavy millstone and thrown into the ocean (Mk. 9:42). He said that it would have been beautiful had His betrayer never been born (Matt. 26:24/Mk. 14:21). Beauty is not always pretty. Jesus miracles were beautiful (Jn. 10:32-33). Jesus’ "last wine" was called the most beautiful at the Cana wedding feast (Jn. 2:10). But Jesus also said that it is more beautiful to enter eternal life maimed or crippled and one-eyed than to be lost "whole" (Matt. 18:8-9/Mk. 9:43, 45, 47). Physical health and prosperity are not where true beauty is. People who follow God are beautiful. When we obey the gospel so that it flourishes in our lives, we are beautiful soil for the gospel’s seed (Matt. 13:8, 23/Mk. 4:8, 20/Lk. 8:15). We are people who have beautiful, honest hearts (Lk. 8:15). We "sons of the Kingdom" are God’s beautiful seed, sown in the world by God alongside others who are sown by His enemy (Matt. 13:38, 24, 27, 37). Big noses, warts, but faithful hearts are beautiful. That’s encouraging! And here is a beauty we can do something about. We can make the tree beautiful so that it’s fruit is beautiful (Matt. 12:33). As wise people, we can show our wisdom by a beautiful life of purity and peacefulness (James 3:13); as those who know what is beautiful and do not practice it, we sin (James 4:17). I am accountable for my beauty beyond cosmetics. As healthy trees produce beautiful fruit while sick trees cannot, God says He will cut down trees that do not bear beautiful fruit (Matt. 7:17-19/Lk. 6:43; Cf. Mt. 3:10/Lk. 3:9). He says we need to get salty or be lost since functioning salt is beautiful, but "unsalted" salt is ready for the trash (Mk. 9:50/Lk. 14:34-35). Salty is beautiful. This beauty works. Our beautiful deeds are seen by people and they glorify God (Matt. 5:16). We can live such beautiful lives that pagans will glorify God even as they call us ugly (I Pet. 2:10). So I guess it’s time that I "get beautiful." I visualize the beautiful. I test everything and hold onto what is beautiful (I Thess. 5:21). I train my senses by spiritual exercise to tell the difference between things that are beautiful and things that are ugly (Heb. 5:14). I pray for a conscience which is beautiful, desiring to live honorably in every way (Heb. 13:18). Train the eye for beauty. I activate the beautiful. I make the beautiful to many witnesses, just as Jesus did (I Tim. 6:12-13). I assemble with Christians to consider and stimulate each other to love and beautiful deeds (Heb. 10:24-25). Beauty is as beauty does. I suffer for the beautiful. I wrestle the beautiful contest of the faith (II Tim. 6:12). I avoid getting so stale that I quit doing beautiful things since we will eventually succeed if we keep going (Gal. 6:9). I endure hardship as a beautiful soldier of Christ Jesus (II Tim. 2:3). Keep beauty alive. I share God’s vision of the beautiful. I point God’s truths to others in order to be a beautiful servant (I Tim. 4:6). I want disciples to do God’s beautiful things even if I look ugly to them (II Cor. 13:7). Have devotion to beauty. I can only begin with Jesus’ grace. My heart strengthened by grace is beautiful (Heb. 13:9). I use God’s gifts to serve as a beautiful steward of God’s many-faceted grace (I Pet. 4:10). Wow. An eternal circle of beauty – that is a joy forever. That is beautiful. |