Dear special sisters in Messiah,
Each day in my personal prayer time, I sing praises unto the Lord, who called me out of spiritual darkness into His glorious light. This morning I have been led to share a message that truly resonates in my heart and pray that it blesses each of you . . .
Our walk of faith rests entirely upon our experiencing a personal relationship with Yeshua, our Lord and Savior. Yeshua did not come to give us another religion; He came to give us Himself. When this truth becomes deep seeded within our heart and spirit, we are well on our way to a life of discovering the beauty and wonder of God. As David proclaimed in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall 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 meditate in His temple.†Paul declared something similar in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.â€
In the spring of 2009, Susan Boyle took the stage of Britain’s Got Talent. Compared to the other contestants, Susan was very humble and simple in appearance. No one expected much when she raised the microphone to her lips. But then she began to sing. Both the judges and the audience were spellbound. Everyone was clearly taken with the beauty and power of Susan’s voice that filled the auditorium, and the audience stood to their feet cheering with delight. All were surprised that such a riveting beautiful voice came from such an unlikely source.
We, too, can be unlikely sources when it comes to the beauty of Yeshua flowing in and through us. But that is how our Lord planned it. Common folk like us turn on the stage of life in front of the world’s skeptical audience. Our heavenly Father desires that we reflect His glorious light to our family, friends, and to all who fill the arena of our lives. Each of them needs to see and hear the love and grace of Messiah Yeshua emerging from our lives.
I adore Peter’s reminder that we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light!†(1 Peter 2:9). You may think you are an unlikely source, but when you allow the Lord’s love and light to flow through you, the judgmental world will stand up and take notice!
In the verses of 1 Peter 2:9-12, Peter’s insight reveals several key elements. The wordpraises (verse 9) could also be translated “eminent qualities†or “virtues.†Believers in the body of Messiah are required to live in such a manner that their heavenly Father’s qualities are showcased in their lives. We are to serve as witnesses of the glory and grace of God. The word darkness (verse 9) refers to the time when Peter’s listeners were pagans, ignorant of God’s provision of salvation (Colossians 1:13). Yeshua’s â€wonderful light†now illuminates the people of God. God’s people are called to serve as a holy and royal priesthood.
Perhaps it should be said that the single need of believers today is to have our eyes fully opened to the glory and beauty of Yeshua. It was this very beauty that enthralled the prophets of old. It was His revealed beauty that enthralled the apostles, as we see in John 1:14, “And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.â€
Reaching back to the prophets, we hear one of the Psalmists write about Yeshua, saying, “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent of men and Your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed You forever†(Psalm 45:1-2). The ancients considered this Psalm to be referencing the coming Messiah.
For every believer, there is a beauty in Yeshua to be realized; simply in the beauty of abiding in an intimate relationship with Him. It is in this knowing that our hearts spring forth in our love for Yeshua. Peter says it best in 1 Peter 1:8, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.â€
When Peter says that we have not seen Him, he is speaking of a physical sense. But, we actually do see Yeshua with our hearts, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. It is entirely through the work of the Holy Spirit, that allows us to know Yeshua both in His sufferings and in His resurrected glory. In John 6:40, Yeshua gave us His promise, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who look to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.†Paul declared, “He [Yeshua] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation†(Colossians 1:15).
The longer we walk with Yeshua, the greater we behold the beauty of Him, and His light shines brighter within us and through us. The Holy Spirit continues to help us process life as we increasingly gain God’s truth, wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 4:18 ensures us that “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of the day.â€
This week I encourage you to meditate upon the Scriptures and ask yourself whether you have been beholding the beauty of the Lord? I pray that His glorious light is shining brightly within you and through you. May God abundantly bless you.
Rejoicing in the beauty of the Lord,
Eileen
Each day in my personal prayer time, I sing praises unto the Lord, who called me out of spiritual darkness into His glorious light. This morning I have been led to share a message that truly resonates in my heart and pray that it blesses each of you . . .
Behold The Beauty Of The Lord
Our walk of faith rests entirely upon our experiencing a personal relationship with Yeshua, our Lord and Savior. Yeshua did not come to give us another religion; He came to give us Himself. When this truth becomes deep seeded within our heart and spirit, we are well on our way to a life of discovering the beauty and wonder of God. As David proclaimed in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall 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 meditate in His temple.†Paul declared something similar in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.â€
In the spring of 2009, Susan Boyle took the stage of Britain’s Got Talent. Compared to the other contestants, Susan was very humble and simple in appearance. No one expected much when she raised the microphone to her lips. But then she began to sing. Both the judges and the audience were spellbound. Everyone was clearly taken with the beauty and power of Susan’s voice that filled the auditorium, and the audience stood to their feet cheering with delight. All were surprised that such a riveting beautiful voice came from such an unlikely source.
We, too, can be unlikely sources when it comes to the beauty of Yeshua flowing in and through us. But that is how our Lord planned it. Common folk like us turn on the stage of life in front of the world’s skeptical audience. Our heavenly Father desires that we reflect His glorious light to our family, friends, and to all who fill the arena of our lives. Each of them needs to see and hear the love and grace of Messiah Yeshua emerging from our lives.
I adore Peter’s reminder that we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light!†(1 Peter 2:9). You may think you are an unlikely source, but when you allow the Lord’s love and light to flow through you, the judgmental world will stand up and take notice!
In the verses of 1 Peter 2:9-12, Peter’s insight reveals several key elements. The wordpraises (verse 9) could also be translated “eminent qualities†or “virtues.†Believers in the body of Messiah are required to live in such a manner that their heavenly Father’s qualities are showcased in their lives. We are to serve as witnesses of the glory and grace of God. The word darkness (verse 9) refers to the time when Peter’s listeners were pagans, ignorant of God’s provision of salvation (Colossians 1:13). Yeshua’s â€wonderful light†now illuminates the people of God. God’s people are called to serve as a holy and royal priesthood.
Perhaps it should be said that the single need of believers today is to have our eyes fully opened to the glory and beauty of Yeshua. It was this very beauty that enthralled the prophets of old. It was His revealed beauty that enthralled the apostles, as we see in John 1:14, “And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.â€
Reaching back to the prophets, we hear one of the Psalmists write about Yeshua, saying, “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent of men and Your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed You forever†(Psalm 45:1-2). The ancients considered this Psalm to be referencing the coming Messiah.
For every believer, there is a beauty in Yeshua to be realized; simply in the beauty of abiding in an intimate relationship with Him. It is in this knowing that our hearts spring forth in our love for Yeshua. Peter says it best in 1 Peter 1:8, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.â€
When Peter says that we have not seen Him, he is speaking of a physical sense. But, we actually do see Yeshua with our hearts, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. It is entirely through the work of the Holy Spirit, that allows us to know Yeshua both in His sufferings and in His resurrected glory. In John 6:40, Yeshua gave us His promise, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who look to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.†Paul declared, “He [Yeshua] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation†(Colossians 1:15).
The longer we walk with Yeshua, the greater we behold the beauty of Him, and His light shines brighter within us and through us. The Holy Spirit continues to help us process life as we increasingly gain God’s truth, wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 4:18 ensures us that “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of the day.â€
This week I encourage you to meditate upon the Scriptures and ask yourself whether you have been beholding the beauty of the Lord? I pray that His glorious light is shining brightly within you and through you. May God abundantly bless you.
Rejoicing in the beauty of the Lord,
Eileen
