likeness

We Should Always Bless The LORD

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise Him, O ye servants of the LORD.  Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,  Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto His name; for it is pleasant.

For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure.   For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.   Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries.

Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.   Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.   Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;  Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:   And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel His people.

Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and Thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.  For the LORD will judge His people, and He will repent Himself concerning His servants.

The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;  They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.  They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

Bless the LORD, O house of Israel: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:  Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 135:1-21

 

Beauty and Holiness

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

“Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”  Psalm 29:1-2 (KJB)

For some folks they have a problem reconciling beauty and holiness.  We probably have the idea of “Beauty” mostly wrong.  Most of us marvel at the beauty of creation, all that God has made in the outdoors.  I fear that some see more beauty in the things which Adamkind (mankind) has made.  Some see beauty in city lights, and horizons of cities lit up in the night sky.

I see much more of beauty as I look at the stars above at night.  The lights of cities I see as “Light pollution”, polluting the sky with man made conveniences. Now, please do not get me wrong; I do appreciate those conveniences just as much as others do.

What is beauty?  There is an old saying which state, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”.  That is probably true with some things, but not God things.  If God states that something is beautiful, then we need to see it as beautiful as well.  The heart right with God will see holiness as something of great beauty.

It anything is holy to the LORD, then, it is beautiful as well.

With God human life is holy.  The blood that flows through our veins and most living creatures, is sacred and holy to the LORD.  The LORD has stated in the book of Leviticus 17:11…

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

For one individual to haphazardly take the life of another individual that is that beauty, neither is it glory to the LORD.  It grieves His heart.  That is why He authorized human government the right of corporal punishment, or the death penalty. My life is no more important that another life.  To intentionally kill for one’s own personal gain, or pleasure is plainly murder, and deserves to die equally.

God created Adamkind in His likeness and after His image.  That has been tainted, and ruined by our sin.  It is restored through the redemptive work of Jesus God’s Son by His death on  the cross.  That is holiness in its beauty.  The Holy dying for the unholy, that we might be made the righteousness of God through Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Beauty and Holiness in Christ Jesus.