Beauty Driven Duty

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Whether we know it or not, our lives and communities are walking billboards for Christianity.  Recently I visited a Christian university for homecoming and one thing that stood out to me was the joy of the students.  Everyone greeted us with a sense of excitement.  Our visit was encouraging and uplifting because of the joy that surrounded us.  It got me to thinking, how is my joy quotient?  When people are around me, do they sense joy, or a lack of joy?   Joy is not something that needs to be painted on the face of the Christian, but instead is the natural result of correctly understanding the love of Christ for sinners. When the gospel is rightly understood, it should kindle a sense of Christ's beauty.   Tony Reinke in his book "John Newton and the Christian Life" reminds us that a life without joy in Christ is a life that lacks proper focus.  The Christian life is about vision, a proper vision of Christ.  Reinke writes, "when your hearts feel the comforts of God's pardoning love, you will delight to imitate him.  When you can truly rejoice that he has freely forgiven you of that immense debt...you will have no desire to take your fellow servant by the throat." He continues, "This daily renewed sense of Christ's beauty softens our heart and erodes angry and resentful thoughts against those who have offended us.  When the love of Christ rules our hearts, we can put on 'compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience' (Col 3:12-14)."

The Christian life for me is at times a march of drudgery, keeping rules, avoiding sins and sterile duty.  Yet in reading Newton, I am reminded that the gospel rightly understood, is a fire that kindles the heart toward joyful obedience.  The kindling for the fire is the love of Christ.  As Newton writes, "Christ's love must first be received before Christ's example of love can be pursued...by trusting in Christ, we behold his blood-spilled love.  We love Christ and in loving him we seek to become what we love." 

This week in church during worship, hold in your mind the beauty of Christ as you sing.  His perfect love for His church should be the fuel that not only fires our worship, but also fuels our obedience.

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