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Psalm 90:17 - Let God's Beauty and Favor Establish Your Work.Psalm 90:17 (NKJV) And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.Psalm 90:17 (NIV) May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17 (AMP) And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands - yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. WORD STUDY Beauty: God's own beauty is on display through his faithful servants. [ESV SB 2008] COMMENTARY PEARL In every human being He discerned infinite possibilities. He saw men as they might be, transfigured by His grace--in "the beauty of the Lord our God." Psalm 90:17. Looking upon them with hope, He inspired hope. Meeting them with confidence, He inspired trust. Revealing in Himself man's true ideal, He awakened, for its attainment, both desire and faith. In His presence souls despised and fallen realized that they still were men, and they longed to prove themselves worthy of His regard. In many a heart that seemed dead to all things holy, were awakened new impulses. To many a despairing one there opened the possibility of a new life. Christ bound them to His heart by the ties of love and devotion; and by the same ties He bound them to their fellow men. With Him love was life, and life was service. "Freely ye have received," He said, "freely give." Matthew 10:8. It was not on the cross only that Christ sacrificed Himself for humanity. As He "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38), every day's experience was an outpouring of His life. In one way only could such a life be sustained. Jesus lived in dependence upon God and communion with Him. To the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty, men now and then repair; they abide for a season, and the result is manifest in noble deeds; then their faith fails, the communion is interrupted, and the lifework marred. But the life of Jesus was a life of constant trust, sustained by continual communion; and His service for heaven and earth was without failure or faltering. As a man He supplicated the throne of God, till His humanity was charged with a heavenly current that connected humanity with divinity. Receiving life from God, He imparted life to men. ED80-81 COMMENTARY Let God Manage You God wants you to let Him manage you, that you may be a lovable Christian. The Lord would have the natural and hereditary traits of character come under the pruning knife. Look steadfastly unto Jesus, that you may catch His spirit and cherish the qualities of Christlike character. Then it will be recognized by all who have any connection with you, that you have learned of Christ His meekness, His affection, His tenderness, His sympathy. Never rest satisfied until you possess a loving and lovable spirit. Your words may come from the good treasure of the heart to strengthen, help, bless, and win all around you.... Others catch your spirit. The seeds we sow will bear a harvest in goodness, patience, kindness, and love, or exactly the opposite.... Many, many need melting over. Be sound in principle, true to God, but do not manifest one stern, ungenial phase of character. God does not want you to incur contempt by manifesting a disposition like a ball of putty, but He does want you to be in principle as sound as a rock, yet with a healthful mellowness. Like the Master, be full of grace and truth. Jesus was incorruptible, undefiled, yet in His life were mingled gentleness, meekness, benignity, sympathy, and love. The poorest were not afraid to approach Him; they did not fear a rebuff. What Christ was, every Christian should strive to be. In holiness and winsomeness of character He is our model... We should all learn of Christ what it means to be a Christian. Let us learn of Him how to combine firmness, justice, purity, and integrity with unselfish courtesy and kindly sympathy. Thus the character becomes lovable and attractive. The beauty of holiness will disarm scoffers.... The heart must receive the divine current, and let it flow out in rich streams of mercy and grace to other hearts. All who would win souls to Christ must be winsome. http://www.bibleuniverse.com/devotion.asp APPLICATION My fourth-grade students asked why I was crying as they lined up in the hallway. They had put sticky notes on a wall in the entryway of the school where I work as an elementary school counselor. Each student, from kindergarten through fourth grade, had written something about kindness throughout the month and posted it on what we called the Kindness Wall. I asked the fourth graders what they had learned from the activity. A dozen students raised their hands. One said he hoped people of different colors would stop hating each other. Another said kindness can help someone who is depressed. One girl said when you include someone, you make a difference in their life. Their words were powerful. My tears were happy tears, I told them. Inwardly, I praised Jesus for showing up in such an unexpected way at my job. Rarely do I make time to pray during my workday. Too often I read my morning devotional and rush off to work, disconnecting Jesus from my daily activities. Would Jesus show up even more if I asked Him to do so? The experience challenged me to make a habit of praying through my workday. Now I'm more aware of where Jesus is working and how He may show up, using His powerful presence to move me to tears. Brenda L. Yoder Faith Step: Invite Jesus to join you in your daily activities at work, at home, or in your community by praying throughout the day. Make note of how you experience His presence in both big and small ways. [Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY John 3:3 - You Must Be Born Again To Enter The Kingdom Of God. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200518-0946.html Galatians 5:22, 23 - The Fruit of the Spirit. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240324-0816.html Philippians 4:8 - What Are You Feeding Your Mind? https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240509-0838.html Proverbs 23:7 - What You Think - - You Are! https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230930-0941.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |