Beauty Stemming from Christ

 Saying Farewell to Destructive Values Through Our Relationship with Jesus Christ

We must inwardly say goodbye to the values and behaviors that are destructive—destructive both to our personal lives and to the life of our church. To make this possible, we need more than a firm resolve. We must bind ourselves to Jesus Christ and orient our lives around Him.

Trust in Jesus Christ Leads to Security and Significance

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is the foundation of our values and our actions.

"Hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism." (James 2:1)

Whoever has found Jesus as the starting point of life finds security and significance through that relationship.

Paul held a high position as both a theologian and a leader, first in Judaism and later in Christianity. Yet compared with his relationship with Christ, all his accomplishments became insignificant and of little value.

Anyone who seeks security and significance apart from Jesus Christ builds, as the prophet Jeremiah says, a cracked cistern that cannot hold water. Jesus is the living spring that refreshes and brings joy. Those who live out of His joy will naturally relate to others differently.

Trust in Jesus Christ Requires Humility

One quality God repeatedly emphasizes is the attitude that is acceptable before Him: humility. Humility is the opposite of pride and originally meant "to be bowed down" or "inclined."

God says:

"I dwell with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite." (Isaiah 57:15)

This is what Jesus meant in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)

This is also what James meant when he wrote:

"The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position."

God accepts and exalts us when we come to Him in humility. Humble fellowship with God is the healthy recognition that He is Lord of all lords, and that we have the privilege of coming to Him through the blood of Christ.

Today we hear much about God as Father and Jesus as Friend. That is good, but it must be balanced with God's majesty and glory. Whoever encounters God with the joy of humility will also encounter fellow human beings differently.

Trust in Jesus Christ Releases Mercy

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:12–13)

We should constantly remember that before God we live by receiving what we do not deserve. We do not receive the guilt or punishment that we have earned. Jesus has taken all of that upon Himself.

People who live from God's mercy treat others mercifully. They stand up for them instead of rejecting them. They listen instead of overwhelming them with ready-made answers.

Jonah had to learn exactly this lesson. God mercifully saved him from death through the great fish. Yet when revival broke out in the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, Jonah became angry. He wanted God's judgment to come upon them. He wished for the people of Nineveh what he himself did not want.

We tend to adopt Jonah's attitude. We quickly forget the immense mercy God has shown us. And because we forget it, it becomes easy to treat others without mercy. But that is destructive. If we once again marvel at God's goodness in our lives, we will become much kinder toward others. That is the kind of fellowship people gladly join.

Trust in Jesus Christ Leads to Unity Between Words and Actions

God's words and actions are one. His actions always support His words, and His words always explain His actions. We need that same unity.

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom." (James 2:12)

A gap between words and actions is destructive. Trust disappears when people act differently from what they say.

But how attractive is a fellowship in which actions agree with words! Isn't it wonderful when faith is visible in a person's conduct? Isn't it wonderful when you can rely on another person's word? Isn't it wonderful when speech and action are united?

All of this is possible and beautiful because people live in close fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

At home we have a painting by Claude Monet hanging on the wall. Suppose I wanted to paint in the same style and with the same quality as Monet. To do that, I might think I needed the same conditions he had. So, I would buy my paints and brushes from the same source. I would use the same kind of canvas. I could travel to the very places where he painted his works. I could wait for the same weather conditions under which he worked. I could paint the same scenes he painted.

All the conditions would be fulfilled.

There would only be one small difference.

No one (except perhaps my wife) would pay any attention to my paintings. No one would buy them.

What gives a painting its value is not the materials or the environment from which it came. It is the painter who, through his skill, suddenly gives the canvas great value.

The same is true for us.

Our value does not depend on what we do or on our achievements. Nor does the value of other people depend on human judgment. Our value—and the value of every other person—depends solely on our Creator, who created us as valuable. Apart from Him, we have no lasting worth.

Beauty comes into our lives when we allow Jesus Christ, the Master Artist, into our lives.

In our relationship with Him, we discover an entirely new foundation from which we can treat others with worth and dignity. This joy and fulfillment rub off on others. That is what the church is meant to be—a community where Jesus leaves His mark on us and shapes the way we treat one another so that people become curious about Him because they are touched by His love shining through us.

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