Grace Gems: Beauty and Manliness

Ugly corners made beautiful

(J. R. Miller, "Christian Manliness" 1909)

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely . . ." Philippians 4:8

Beauty is another quality of true manliness. It is not enough for a man to be true, to live honorably, to be just, to be pure and clean--he must also have in his life, whatever is lovely.

All God's works are beautiful. He never made anything that was not beautiful. It is sin which spoils everything!

There are many lives that are not lovely in every feature. You see things in others which you cannot admire--things which are not beautiful.

Fretting is not beautiful.

Bad temper is unlovely.

Discontent, jealousy, irritability, unkindness, selfishness are unattractive.

It is the work of God's grace--to make lives beautiful. All that grace does in us--is toward the fashioning of beautiful Christian character in us.

On a florist's signboard are the words, "Ugly corners made beautiful". The florist had reference to what he could do to beautify an ugly spot or a piece of landscape. He would trim out the weeds, plant flowers and shrubs, and transform a wilderness into a garden.

That is what grace can do in our lives. Some men seem to think that the fine and graceful things are only for women, not for men. But Christ was a man--a perfect, complete man--and there was not a single unlovely thing in His life.
He was strong--but also gentle.
He was just--but kindly.
He was firm--but patient.
He was righteous, and his indignation burned like fire against all hypocrisy and injustice--but his tenderness never failed.

Fine manliness is beautiful, like Christ. "Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16

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We have posted J. R. Miller's insightful article, "Christian Manliness".

Being Satisfied

As a single 26 year old Christian man, I am writing to my fellow single brothers and sisters in Christ about satisfaction with God's will in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Sometimes we can hear so much about what we "should" be doing, that we begin to think, "Oh no, not another reminder that I have to be satisfied with whatever God wants for my life, even if it is exactly what I dread."

But that is not the Biblical view of being satisfied with God's will. Biblically, God only gives to the wicked what they most fear and dread will happen to them (Prov. 10:24).

But to the righteous, God gives them the desires of their hearts, satisfies them with good things, renews them and fills them with joy (Psa. 34:9; 37:4; 81:16; 103:5 Prov. 10:24; Isa. 40:31; Rom. 14:17; 15:13).

This is His will for you in Christ: that you always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything (1 Thes. 5:16-18).

If this is God's will for us, then why would we want anything different?

"Because what if God does not give me what I want," you might think.

But listen to me, if you know God's Son and you know the Father, and you know His great love for you, then how can you doubt that He wants anything but what is the best for you?

What it comes down to is this: are you satisfied with doing the will of God? His will is simple and clear: 1) always be joyful in Him, He loves you and is making you holy; 2) always pray, because God loves to answer the requests of His children in unexpected ways; and 3) always be thankful, because you are getting way more than you deserve and God is giving you good things to bless you.

If you are rejoicing in Christ, continuing in prayer and thankful in Christ, then you are doing God's will. You can be satisfied with that.

Whether we get married or not, live or die, have this or that, what matters is that we are doing the will of God in the midst of it. I believe that there is no other way for a married couple to not be disappointed with each other than for them to first be satisfied in Christ. There is no other way for singles to be who they are created to be than to first be satisfied in Christ.

I firmly believe that being content takes action. First let's be content with God's will for our lives, if we are saved it is always going to be good, even in hard times. Second, let's do what He commands us to do. This starts with loving Him and loving His people. Get out and work by visiting other Christians, be happy with the godly friends you have, help each other out more, out-do one another in showing honor to each other, do things to help the poor, encourage the downcast and build each other up in the faith, preach the gospel to the lost and visit the hospitals.

If you are a young man and you don't have the gift of celibacy, then get busy ordering your life and finding a wife for yourself. I know she is already getting tired of waiting for you to do something. Remember you can only pick one, so find the one you like and stick with her. Learn to be the kind of guy noble women are crazy about. Read the book of Proverbs as many times as you can in one year and by the grace of God practice it. Experience knowing Christ for real and be gentle, kind and gracious.

If you are a lady, then do all you can to encourage, support and help others out as you wait for that guy to finally do something. Babysit people's kids, learn to be a great cook, help your sisters out, delight in the Word of God, be self-controlled. Every relationship in your life matters. Remember, God knows what you need.

If you are doing these things already, then don't get tired of doing it. Keep in mind that God is blessing you and has great things in store. Maybe your future husband or future wife will see you doing these things and will be irresistibly attracted to you?

Maybe it won't matter to you if anyone sees you or not, because you know what it is to be saved by grace? You know what it is to be loved by God, to have His Son die and rise for your redemption, to be eternally, irresistibly and stubbornly loved in Christ Jesus, to receive His Holy Spirit and to have a future hope of an eternal inheritance. You will one day reign as kings in the Kingdom of our Lord.

If this is you, be happy and keep doing good. If not, then get alone, get silent, get on your knees, get your Bible open and plead to know this love of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

"Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV)

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
(1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

"Trust in the LORD and do good..."
(Psalm 37:3)

Hope this helps you out a little my friends,

Penn T.

(If you have anything you would like to add, comments or questions, please do.)

Grace and Great Men

Who are the 3 most prolific writers of the Bible?

They are:
1) Moses

2) David

3) Paul

All three of these men were murderers.

When the Bible represents its heroes, it represents them as they are, without hiding their severe and serious faults.

They are real men, not make believe. They were also great heroes and have influenced the entire world with their writings more than any other writers who have ever lived.

We can learn from these guys what a real man of God is made of--the grace of God.

"Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 Amplified).