Be

Behold.

“'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food . . . And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." ~Genesis 1:29;31a

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." ~Isaiah 43:19

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" ~John 1:29

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me." ~Revelation 3:20

Behold, our God. Behold the universe that He has made. Behold the people He has designed in His image. Behold the blessings He is doing in your life. Stand in awe of His goodness, His grace, His glory. Let that awe pervasively dwell in your soul and become a posture of your heart. 

Behold God and be beholden to Him. Let everything in Your life come under His divine glory. See the beauty of every gifting, blessing, and purpose by setting it under His throne. Live beholden to Him with great praise and not beholden to the lesser things that drain us of life and place the world on our shoulders.

Become.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." ~1 Corinthians 5:17

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." ~Hebrews 4:12

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~Romans 6:23

"Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit." ~John 15:5  

Becoming unfolds in the place of beholding. What are we beholding? What are we beholden to? And thereby, what are we becoming? 

We pick up on what we pursue. This is how my friend's lexicon, my parents' qualities, my social media feed's beliefs become my own. The more we see, the more we engage, the more we receive, the more we take on. We are always becoming what we are beholden to whether actively or passively.

When I look at my life am I becoming more like my sin or more like God's righteousness? What am I consuming? What am I reckoning with? What am I acting out?

Obedience is God's gift to us. The road map to drawing nearer to Him and becoming more like Him. Of allowing the Scriptures we consume to move beyond beholding and into becoming. And it's in that place (one of continual process) that our lives are transformed by His grace.

Be Bold.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." ~1 Peter 2:9

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." ~Philippians 4:13

"Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." ~Acts 28:31

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." ~2 Corinthians 9:6

"Since we have such a hope, we are very bold." ~2 Corinthians 3:12

"So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" ~Hebrews 13:6

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~Hebrews 4:16

We can move forth with confidence, bold in the glory of the God we behold and in the knowledge that through Him we are becoming like Him. We cannot be bold in our faith without first beholding our God and becoming like Him.

These three concepts inform each other and build upon each other. Boldness born out of another place will fail, but boldness built on the throne of God will always reap bountifully. We need not fear, and we need not be timid. When we behold God, knowing His love for us, and become like Him, knowing He is guiding our steps, we move forward with all boldness to pursue our purpose, to intercede on behalf of the world, to make His glory known.

Behold, the Lamb of God. Become more like Him. Be bold in making His name known and carrying forth His spirit. These are lifelong postures.

"Your promise still stands 

Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness 

I'm still in Your hands 

This is my confidence

You've never failed me yet"

 

~Do It Again

 

*disclaimer: the pairing of these three concepts was taken from chapel themes when I was in college and is not my own idea