There Is A Wholly Beautiful Uniqueness

There Is A Wholly Beautiful Uniqueness

There is a wholly beautiful uniqueness
about each and every person’s life
lived right here upon this earth
day-by-day with faith in Jesus
who is the Son of God and the Son of Man
Immanuel (God With Us), the very
Lamb of God, the great I AM,
who died, was raised victorious
eternally over death and sin and
lives in every believer born again
a conqueror empowered
by the Holy Spirit who breathes
into every redeemed soul God’s
individual redemptive flame
lit as a light for the darkened  world
even as the Creator placed each
star in the heavens to dance their praises
for the glory of their Maker, the One
who not only lovingly
makes them but calls them by name.

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God’s Holy Church mirrors the wonders of the galaxies and the stars in the heavens above. As each galaxy and every star has their precious and precise place in the glorious dance across the heavens, so every member of God’s family has their place in His living, growing, glorious Church. And every person’s unique place fits exactly in God’s eternal Purpose. We discern this from Scripture:

Genesis 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs it course with joy.
its rising from the ends of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

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And so, I take joy in looking around me throughout my present and my past from my own experience within my own faith family. I am so blessed as I  identify and appreciate the uniqueness, the shaping and the molding and the perfecting of gifts within my church family. Each individual fits just right in the midst of the beauty and  glory God reveals while the Holy Spirit unifies and perfects our shared testimony to our Savior and His Gospel—the salvation and glorification of His own children, His people as we worship Him and serve others in the world around us. It is His Glory and His Gospel and by His Spirit that He works within us as He draws people to Himself and His Salvation.

Even so I praise God for Bible teachers who so love the Word, they dig deep and seek the Holy Spirit’s leading as they discover God’s Truth to share in all its glory, revealing the truth for the Church, which challenges, corrects, encourages and uplifts us and His disciples. In so doing, God uses them to prepare us for His declaration and manifestation of the Gospel all around us in our community, and beyond us throughout the world. Both in the present and in the past we have been blessed by those who answered this calling and gifting in their lives among us, pastors, teachers, and disciplers.

And again, I praise God for prayer warriors, who both in their private closets and within our faith groupings pray as if the life of our church depends on God’s gift of prayer. IT DOES! Faithfully, day-and-night they praise God, they seek His Face, they pour out their hearts’ concerns for His people and for His world. They thank Him for every blessing He bestows as He in joy answers their Spirit directed prayers. They pray both individually and in community with others. Before all, they pray. Throughout all, they pray. About all, they pray. Anticipating all, they pray. God uses their prayers gathered in His Holy Hands as He strengthens, as He inspires, and as He guides our Church.

And then I praise God for those who powerfully declare God’s Truth. Our hearts, individually, in small groups, and as a faith family, sorely need God’s Truth—inspired by the Holy Spirit to lift us up when we are down, to correct our path when we go astray,  and to challenge us when we need to claim new territory for our Lord. How blessed we are for these who often speak the Truth that we must hear, whether  it sounds dear in the midst of our troubles, or even though it seems hard in the midst of our wandering. How blessed we are by their careful seeking out His Truth for proclamation, for the way they open their own souls for both inspiration and correction. How blessed we are by the long hours they spend in His Word, and in prayer, making sure they have correctly discerned His message for each of us and all of us in the midst of our need. How blessed we are as He feeds them, His servants, and all of us through them.

Praise God for gifted, called, and surrendered worshippers who so clearly reflect His glory before us. Praise God for their sincerity and for the beauty of their musical offerings of thanksgiving before Him. Praise God for the inspiration of their testimonies which lift us up as they invite us to join them in worship. Praise God for the power with which His Holy Spirit speaking in and through them draws us in our hearts before His Throne. Praise God for their willingness to stand before us and declare the goodness of our Lord. Praise God for the way God uses their offerings to open up our minds and prepare us for the declaration of His Word. Praise God for the way in which their songs touch us when we find joy even in the face of sorrow. Praise God for the way His voice uses theirs  to bring us healing when we feel hurt, discouraged, or lost. Praise God that we can join with these worshippers lifting up His Holy Name for all the goodness He displays.

Praise God for those who walk humbly and lovingly among us, ministering by their gifted spirits and personalities, serving us when we are in need. Praise God for how the Holy Spirit sensitizes their hearts to know when we need a word, a touch, a smile, a laugh, a shared tear, a helping hand, or a prayer.  Praise God for how they uplift us when we need His touch through them and their genuine and caring hearts. Praise God when their courage in ministry inspires our own as they walk beside us. Praise God when God’s own assurance of His Presence right there beside us becomes so obvious through the caring “hugs”  they share. Praise God for their knowing and obeying His Call when He summons them to love us from afar, or right up close beside us. Praise God for how their loving care testifies to God’s own loving care. Praise God, for such as these, His humble servants, are always there.

Praise God for those who heroically and faithfully and beautifully testify with their day-to-day lives how God makes all things possible through Jesus our Savior. Praise God for those who over the years never falter, though their paths through life may be more complicated than others. Praise God for those whose strength in facing this life lies outside the common path. Praise God for how He uses these blessed pilgrims as they inspire us and help focus our eyes on Jesus. Praise God for the privilege of knowing and serving and loving precious souls such as these. Praise God for how He reaches deep into our hearts and teaches us humility and gratitude and obedience through such inspired lives as these. Praise God for their genuine smiles and their absolute lack of guile. Praise God for their lives reminding us daily how we each must depend on Him and His faithful Love.

Praise God for those among us who keep our eyes from focusing only on ourselves and those close around us. Praise God for those who remind us that God calls each of His children in taking the Gospel to ALL the world. Praise God for those who remind us that He expects our full participation in Great Commission obedience throughout the world, through prayer, through our witness, through our ministry, and through our obedient giving. Praise God for those who remind us that God’s vision always takes us beyond acting as if we begin with our own, and then if we have a little left over; share with those beyond us. Praise God for those who go themselves beyond us, and calls us to support with our prayer and gifts their going in obedience to their Gospel calling, because in reality, their calling is our calling, also. Praise God for those who call us never to be satisfied until all people everywhere in the world have heard the Gospel for themselves.

Now, I challenge you to spend some time remembering and recognizing before God those who fit within your own faith family, these categories of those who bless you and others also. Thank God by name for those who share your own faith walk, who represent the different blessings which add to your daily walk with Him. Think present and past. Think of those close beside you. Think of those who challenge you. Think of those who inspire you. Think of those who confront you. Think of those who encourage you. Think of those who comfort you. Thank God for them, all of them. Thank God for Jesus who has saved and transformed them. Thank Him for the Holy Spirit who indwells and inspires them. Thank God as He continues to grow and bless and use your faith family in accomplishing His Eternal Gospel Purpose.

May this be our prayer, now and forever. Amen!