Embracing Grace

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; he will beautify the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)

God takes great delight in his people taking great delight in him. When we delight in something, we are doing more than just 'enjoying' something - it gives us a deep sense of value or worth. My children, although as imperfect as I am, give me great delight. I value their presence in my life, as well as find great enjoyment in their talents and unique personalities. One shares everything that is going on their life, from work to home; the other is content to just be quiet, share a few things, run a few ideas past me, and just hang out. One is not more valuable than the other. They both have great value. In God's kingdom, all of us have great value - we are something God takes great delight in. Do we take as much delight in being part of his family as he does in making us part of it?

The promise to those who take great delight in him - they will be 'beautified' with salvation. Lives will be changed - much blessing will be poured into their lives as a result of his grace. Grace changes us, not because God wants a 'different version' of who we are, but because he knows where his grace touches, things we struggle with will no longer be a burden to us. Our lives will be 'beautified' because grace removes things that entangle us in sin, while giving us much strength to overcome our biggest fears and hardest hurts. An 'entangled' life is far from humble - it often gets itself entangled because of pride and stubbornness. We may recognize our entanglement, but we may lack the sufficiency to break free from it on our own. That is where grace needs to begin its work. To acknowledge our need for that grace may require us to become humbler than we have been while dealing with those entanglements on our own!

Transformation comes through grace - nothing touched by grace will ever be the same again. No wonder God says he 'beautifies' us with his salvation. Salvation is based in grace - unmerited, unearned favor or privilege. The heart that genuinely desires to be free of entanglement with this world and the sins of their past will receive a transformation that surpasses their wildest imagining. As we submit heart, will, emotions, and mind to his touch, we find the transformative power of grace goes to work. What once gave us great agony or angst will soon become a thing of beauty within his hands. The more we embrace grace, the more delight we will take in serving him. Just sayin!