THERE IS A BEAUTY THAT WE WERE MADE TO BEHOLD.
David’s life reads like a beautiful symphony—victory after victory, then one jarring, heartbreaking minor chord ..with the outwardly beautiful Bathsheba. Yet when the prophet Nathan confronted David, he didn’t run away; he returned to His first-love relationship. His repentance was real, his faith was real, and his desire was singular. He regained his focus on the Lord. Beneath the crown, beneath the applause, beneath the glitter of success, one yearning burned brightest: God Himself.
HOW BEAUTIFUL TO LIVE FOR JESUS CHRIST!
David said it plainly, like a man who has tasted everything and found only One thing worth wanting:
“One thing I have desired of the LORD… that I may dwell in the house of the LORD… to behold the beauty of the LORD” (Psalm 27:4).
That tiny word behold carries the weight of real worship—it means to gaze with steady, loving attention. David wasn’t trying to glance at God. He wanted to linger.
And beauty? Scripture says beauty is anything that awakens delight. But true beauty begins in God, the source from which every sunrise borrows its colors (Genesis 2:9; Ecclesiastes 3:11). Zion was called “the perfection of beauty” because God shone there (Psalm 50:2). Creation still glows with His fingerprints:
“The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).
Barna research shows that 71% of believers say nature most often awakens their sense of God’s presence—human hearts instinctively recognize His handiwork.
As F. W. Faber wrote, “Every leaf is a sermon, every flower a book, every breeze a whisper of His kindness.”
Beholding God Is More Than Seeing—It’s Savoring
We behold God not just by admiring sunsets but by opening Scripture with hungry hearts. His beauty is moral, holy, perfect:
“Who is like You, glorious in holiness?” (Exodus 15:11).
“All His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
When we slow down long enough to look—really look—God’s goodness begins to reshape how we think, feel, speak, and live (Psalm 90:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Focus of the living Word, read His written Word (the Bible) with a heart to wisely apply the principles. One older preacher said, “You become what you behold—so make sure your gaze is fixed on glory.”
Even ordinary days become radiant. A child’s laughter, an answered prayer, a quiet rescue, a tender mercy—these are small windows through which eternal light pours.
And Nowhere Is Beauty Brighter Than at the Cross
Here the Holy One bled for the unholy. The spotless One stood in the sinner’s place. Christ bore the ugliness of our rebellion so we could behold the beauty of His redeeming love.
Titus anchors this truth:
“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared… He saved us… because of His mercy” (Titus 3:4–5).
One writer said, “At the cross the beauty of God is bruised—and yet nothing in heaven or earth is more lovely.”
Has your life been made ugly by you or by another person? I am sorry about that. And the old hymn whispers tells us what God can give us!
“Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.”
The cross.. the empty tomb of Jesus, that is where divine beauty breaks into human brokenness.
When We Behold Him, We Become Like Him
What has your character been like? What has your attitude and deeds been like?
Those who gaze long at Christ begin to reflect Him (Romans 8:29).
Those who worship deeply walk differently.
And those who’ve tasted God’s beauty start carrying it into the world.
When we let Jesus live big on the inside by His Holy Spirit we can't help but share Him wherever He leads us. Isaiah pictures it this way:
“How beautiful… are the feet of those who bring good news” (Isaiah 52:7).
Beauty is to become an outreach mission.
Worship that's acceptable is beautiful because of the God we worship. Going vertical in blessing the Lord can become at times a beautiful horizontal witness.
Delight, ours (is Jesus), is to become courageous thrugh us.
Imagine a believer sitting on a Texas porch at dusk, Bible open, sky on fire. The day has been long, the world heavy. But as the last light stretches across the horizon, it seems to say, “Your God is sovereign -- He reigns without rival!” And in that moment—quiet, unhurried, honest—the soul remembers: This is what I was made for… to behold, to know, to enjoy, to be fully satisfied with Christ. Oh to know Him well, and make Him well known!
1. God Himself Is the Source of All Beauty
Psalm 27:4 – His beauty draws the soul.
1 Chronicles 16:29 – “Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 96:6 – “Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”
Psalm 50:2 – “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.”
A.W. Tozer said: “God is the perfection of beauty, and all beautiful things are but dim reflections of Him.”
2. God’s Original Creation Was Perfectly Beautiful
Genesis 1:31 – “Very good.”
Genesis 2:8–9 – The Garden of Eden was “pleasant to the sight.”
Psalm 104:24 – “O LORD, how manifold are Your works!”
Charles Spurgeon said: “Nature is the work of God’s finger; Scripture the work of His hand.”
3. Human Beings Are Created Beautifully and Wonderfully
Psalm 139:14 – “Fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Genesis 1:27 – Created in God’s image, with dignity and beauty.
Job 33:4 – “The Spirit of God has made me.”
John Calvin said: “There is no part of the world, however small, that does not show at least some spark of God’s glory.”
4. God’s Beauty Is Often Displayed in Nature, but We Worship Him Alone
Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “Everything beautiful in its time.”
Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare His glory.
Psalm 8:3–4 – The stars prompt awe at His majesty.
Isaiah 40:26 – He calls the stars by name.
Romans 1:20 – His invisible qualities are seen in creation.
Jonathan Edwards said, “All the beauties of the natural world are beams and emanations of God’s glory.”
5. Beauty in Human Creativity (It's a Reflection of God’s Image)
Even earthly beauty—art, architecture, gardens, music, craftsmanship—reflects God’s creativity.
Exodus 31:1–6 – Spirit-filled artisans crafted the tabernacle with skill, design, artistry.
Exodus 35:30–35 – God gave wisdom and artistic ability.
1 Kings 6–7 – Solomon’s temple: exquisite craftsmanship, goldwork, sculpture.
Psalm 90:17 – “Establish the work of our hands.”
Dorothy Sayers said: “The Christian should be an artist because God is.”
Your mention of Liney’s paintings and wedding cakes fits perfectly here—creations that echo the Creator’s beauty.
6. Beauty as a Reflection of God’s Holy Character
Holiness is called beautiful:
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Psalm 29:2
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Psalm 96:9
Salvation is described as beautiful:
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Isaiah 52:7 – “How beautiful… are the feet” of those bringing good news.
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Psalm 149:4 – “He beautifies the humble with salvation.”
7. The Beauty of God’s Word--He is Still Sinless and Selfless
Psalm 19:7–10 – God’s Word is “more to be desired than gold.”
Psalm 119:105 – It lights the path.
Proverbs 3:17 – Wisdom’s ways are “pleasantness,” her paths “peace.”
Billy Graham said: “The Bible is God’s love-letter to us, filled with beauty from beginning to end.”
8. The Beauty of Christ
Isaiah 33:17 – “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty.”
Hebrews 1:3 – He is the radiance of God’s glory.
John 1:14 – “We beheld His glory.”
Though He came without outward majesty (Isaiah 53:2. There was nothing about Jesus outwardly that we would admire him), His moral beauty is still flawless, sublime, winsome and perfect.
Thomas Chalmers said: “The loveliness of Christ is a magnet.”
9. The Beauty of Redemption is Real.. even With So many False Religions and Messages around Us. Stick with the Gospel!
Isaiah 61:3 – Beauty for ashes.
Ephesians 2:10 – We are His workmanship (poiēma—His poem, masterpiece).
Titus 2:10 – Our lives can “adorn” the gospel.
10. The Beauty That God Produces in His People.. He Saves and Changes us from the Inside out.
Galatians 5:22–23 – The fruit of the Spirit is beautiful character.
1 Peter 3:3–4 – True beauty is “the hidden person of the heart.”
Proverbs 31:30 – Beauty and charm fade, but godly character is enduring.
11. The Ugliness Introduced by Sin (of the Flesh and of the Spirit, of Commission and Omission)
This is the contrast Scripture gives.
Romans 8:18–23 – Creation groans for restoration.
Genesis 3 – The fall brings sorrow, toil, brokenness.
Isaiah 24:4–6 – The earth languishes because of sin.
Jeremiah 18:4 – The marred clay resisting the potter.
Romans 1:21–25 – Humanity distorts God’s beauty and truth.
Francis Schaeffer said: “The fall brought ugliness, but man still yearns for the beauty he was created to enjoy.”
12. God Will Indeed Restore Perfect Beauty Again
Revelation 21:1–5 – A new heaven and earth, all things made new.
Revelation 21:23 – The Lamb Himself is the light and beauty of the New Jerusalem.
Isaiah 35:1–2 – The desert blossoms.
Habakkuk 2:14 – The earth filled with His glory.
Randy Alcorn said: “Heaven is God’s final masterpiece.”
