Today’s Text: I Chronicles 16:29 (The following text is taken entirely from the scriptures)
Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! (1 Chron. 16:29 nkjv.)
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth (Ps. 8:1 niv.)! I delight in You, the King of glory. You are strong and mighty in battle (Ps. 24:7–8), and Your kingdom is built on righteousness and justice (Ps. 89:14). You have given all authority to Your Son Jesus (Matt. 28:18), the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). Jesus, I rejoice that at Your name, every knee will bow—both in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10–11).
Almighty God, there is no king like my King. There is no god like my God. All the nations are but a drop in the bucket compared to Your power and might (Isa. 40:15). Your reign extends from human events and the change in seasons (Dan. 2:21) through eternity (Dan. 7:14). The powers of death, sin, and hell are no match for You. I can’t help but sing and shout for my King. You reign (1 Chron. 16:31)!
To look upon Your face in all Your fullness would mean certain death (Ex. 33:20). Yet You allow me—laden with sin that I am—to enter into Your presence through the blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:16). And as I approach Your throne, I am enamored with Your beauty. The grandeur and splendor of Your presence astound me.
My heart trembles at the thought that I am privileged to enter into the courts of the almighty God who reigns above the heavens and holds the destiny of earthly kingdoms in His hands (Dan. 2:21). So I build a throne of worship and praise for You to take Your rightful place (Ps. 22:3)—in my hardships (James 1:2); in my successes (Ps. 115:1); in my thoughts (Col. 3:2); in everything I do (1 Thess. 5:16–18).
Your holiness describes Your beauty. You are perfect in all Your ways (Deut. 32:4), devoid of all evil (Ps. 5:4) and unrighteousness (Ps. 92:15). There is no one like You (Isa. 40:25). Jesus, You are the manifestation of God’s beauty (Isa. 4:2). The beauty of this world reflects the essence of who You are. Lord, let Your beauty be upon me (Ps. 90:17).
Only those with clean hands and a pure heart may enjoy Your presence (Ps. 24:3–4). Thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit so that I may have the power to be holy just as You are holy (Lev. 11:45).
The one thing I desire is that I may dwell in Your house all the days of my life, to behold Your beauty, and to seek You in Your temple (Ps. 27:4). “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps. 84:10 niv.). As I see You in all Your beauty and splendor, I fall in love with You all over again.
So I pledge my allegiance to You my King and join the four living creatures surrounding Your throne who cry, “Holy, holy, holy/Lord God Almighty,/Who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8 nkjv.).
Michael