Burn Bright: A 5 Day Devotional by PassionChikamu

Beautiful Jesus //

A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Take a minute and list some adjectives you would use to describe Jesus. What words or phrases came to mind? Gracious, merciful, powerful, kind, loving, forgiving. Many of us probably had one or more of those on our list. But have you ever thought of Jesus as beautiful?

The likelihood of the adjective even existing in the vocabulary of men, other than in referring to their wife or a woman they would like to date, is very small. After all, the word does hold a very feminine connotation in our culture.

Merriam Webster defines beautiful as "giving pleasure to the mind or the senses." Watching a sunset, listening to our favorite song, tasting the first sip of coffee in the morning, embracing someone close to us — all of these could be described as beautiful.

But the question remains, do we experience Jesus in this way? When we think about him and spend time with him, is our mind filled with pleasure? Do we find joy in his presence?

In Psalm 27:1-4, David writes,

"The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked advance against me to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple."

An army is coming against David, and what is the one thing he asks of God? To live with him forever so that he can contemplate his beauty! For David, God is more than a philosophy or a worldview. He is more than a quick fix for his day or thought he can share on social media. He is life itself!

Pastor Tim Keller said, "Religious people find God useful. Christians find God beautiful."

It is only when Jesus becomes our life, the breath in our lungs, the one who calms every fear, the salvation for our souls, and our greatest reward that we see him as beautiful! And when we do, we want nothing less than to echo David's prayer,

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple." (Psalm 27:4)