Beautiful Things

What do you find beautiful?

Stop right now and ask yourself that question. What’s the first thing that comes to mind?I’d be willing to bet that many of you conjured up a physical image in your mind. Maybe it’s your spouse, your child, a sunset, or a flower…something tangible. Maybe the more introspective of you thought about something romantic like love, tenderness, or compassion. Others may have combined these things and thought of Jesus Christ first. There’s no right or wrong answer, of course, as they say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”What say you of a Boeing 747-400 taking flight? Is that a thing of beauty? I mean, here’s a contraption comprised of six million parts, one hundred seventy-one miles of wiring, five miles of tubing, and weighing over four hundred tons fully loaded. The 747 fleet has flown tens of billions of miles over the years with relatively low safety incidences. That’s incredible. The beauty is in the system…in the engineering…in the simple fact that so many moving parts are able to safely transport human beings for long distances at altitudes over six miles up. Incredible.If the Church, in her purest form, is the very picture of beauty, then why are so many members of it hell-bent on antagonizing her? For example, why are there so many professing members of the Church who seem to take offense with the inspired Word of God regarding our Sovereign’s delegated authority? For example:For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God.It breaks my heart that women everywhere have been taught to despise Holy Scripture. By the time the average woman gets around to actually reading such a passage as this one, they have been so steeped in ugliness that Satan seizes the moment and encourages them to throw the Bible out as antiquated or even ridiculous. Instead of a cause for beauty, it’s the maturation of ugly in her soul. Paul closed his thoughts by stating there’s no place in the church for rebellious women.But if [a woman] is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God.A woman loses her potential to exude true beauty when she becomes contentious against the Lord’s divinely ordained system of authority. She becomes truly ugly. Men can be just as ugly, so let’s not go pointing fingers!Think bigger-picture now. Authority-orientation is like the structural integrity of a Boeing 747. Without it, the “plane” doesn’t fly. Commands in the Bible are like the three million fasteners that keep a plane’s parts in place, functioning appropriately. Hence the fundamental importance of obeying God’s commands - they are there to ensure the “structural integrity” of the Church as she continues to “fly at altitude”.One must wonder, then, why do some insist on “undoing fasteners”, disobeying our Lord’s commandments? Don’t they know they are working to “crash” the Church (though they’ll never succeed)? Don’t they realize that their disobedience is antagonistic to an otherwise smooth flight? Do they know that others are stumbling as a result of their actions? Why can’t they embrace the beauty here instead of the ugly?But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.The world teaches that independence is beautiful. The Bible teaches that we’re all slaves. The world teaches that authority is granted by man. The Bible teaches that all authority is ordained by God. The world teaches that it’s greatest to be served. The Bible teaches that it’s greatest to serve. Both call their systems of thinking things of beauty!We each much choose, nay we each must accept, that absolute authority-orientation is God’s will. If you’re a child, this means submission to your parents. If a wife, to your husband. If a congregant, to your pastor. If a subordinate at work, to your boss. If a citizen, to your governing authorities, and so on.What’s more beautiful?…a covergirl?…a pretty flower?…a four hundred ton hunk of steel flying at over five hundred mph?…or millions of believers enjoying “the unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:13)? What’s more beautiful than a “plane” full of passengers placing their trust in their beloved “Captain”, obeying His commands while onboard?Likewise, what’s uglier than a fracture in our Lord’s chain of command? What’s more disruptive, even? What’s more marring to true beauty than a disobedient believer? At least the unbelievers have an “excuse” (save Romans 1:20) - they don’t know any better.Learn to appreciate the truly beautiful things God has done through Jesus Christ…especially His lordship over all things. “And [Jesus Christ] is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3a). We were not saved in order to put God’s Word to the test just because His grace picks us back up (Matthew 4:7, Romans 6:1-2). The only thing beautiful in that scenario is God’s mercy. May we be as bold as Paul in making such distinctions in our own souls:We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.Obedience is beautiful.Let us remain obedient, for that is the will of the Lord. It’s true, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” May your eyes be on the Lord.Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Love in Christ,
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Ed Collins