Day Nineteen: THE ABUNDANT LIFE
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
—JOHN 10:10
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on
air! All we are and have we owe to GOD, Holy God of Israel, our King!
—PSALM 89:17–18 MSG
Who defines beauty?
In this world, beauty is defined as something apart from God, a force for seducing, manipulating, and securing admiration. We are inundated by reports of the most beautiful women in the world, who are also in and out of rehab, in and out of marriages, and snort away a year’s wages in between photo sessions. I don’t judge them for any of this: they have been deceived, their birthright stolen. Their beauty has been defined by a thief, a thief who hates all women. This enemy conceals the definition of true beauty, replacing it with a stillborn god that can offer nothing.
God’s definition of beauty is vibrant, alive, brilliant, and radiant.It draws people in. Nothing vibrant is stationary. God’s beauty compels us to action, to give to others. Worldly beauty compels us to consume:Get attention! Get admiration! Get approval!
Vibrant beauty is the abundant life we’re promised, and it prompts us to seek what we can give: give attention, give affirmation, give admiration to others. That’s the beauty that leaves its mark on people, and the world. The thief wants to steal, and God wants to give. When you contemplate beauty, notice what your definition of beauty is compelling you to do, and you will know who is defining beauty for you at that moment.
Ask: Pour out Your vibrant beauty into my soul.
Believe: I bless others when I experience God’s abundant, vibrant beauty.