Beautiful Things
“The suffering of the apostles is the means by which
the gospel makes its way.”
Did everyone get a chance to read yesterday's entry about Jay and Katherine Wolf? If not, please take a minute and read the preview of their story. I promise you, however, my blurb is an injustice.
Well, on their website, Jay is heard singing a rendition of Gungor's hit song, "Beautiful Things,"
and the quick chorus says it all:
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of the dust.
You make beautiful things.
You make beautiful things out of us.
I don't always feel beautiful, do you? I mean, I'm capable of some pretty ugly things. Thoughts, actions, tendencies, habits. Put me in charge of something beautiful and I'll make it otherwise. But that's the beauty of salvation. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, He saves us from the penalty of sin. And as we live, He sanctifies us, progressively saving us from the power of sin. And ultimately, He will glorify us. Forever saving us from the presence of sin.
What a picture. Dirt that gets molded and formed into the likeness of its Creator. Not always painlessly or peacefully, but Jay and Katherine echo NT Wright's wonderful quote, that when God's creation suffer, we have the glorious appointment to further the gospel; like the outstretched arm of a runner in a relay delirious from battle.
We're dust. Come hardships, come pain, come suffering. Make us beautiful, Jesus. Make us like You.
- jimmy peña
For Discussion: If you're anything like me, you need a makeover. (A show of hands of those that want to look like Jesus.) I just want to live and love like Him, amen? I may not be pretty, but I will be beautiful.
