16) Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17) And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.Psalm 90: 16-17 (KJV)
These powerful words rounding out Psalm 90 are none other than the words of Moses. In fact Psalm 90 is actually the oldest recorded Psalm in the Bible.
Christian, do you desire that God’s work appear to you? Are you His servant? Notice our verse says, “Let thy work appear unto thy servants…”.
When we become Christians we become His servants, even if we do not feel like His servant or want to serve all the time. It is however a mark of maturity that a Christian see himself as God’s servant. A servant is one who will desire God’s work to appear before him.
A servant of God is at God’s beck and call. When God says to the missionary “Go” he goes.
You see, when you become a Christian your perspective changes. The dormant spiritual yearnings and desire for meaning that each individual is endowed with (because we were created in God’s image) are suddenly awakened when we become His servant. We are now who we were truly created to be— we are no longer slaves and dead to sin.
While before we desired to “make something of our lives” (on our own and on our own terms no less) in order to satisfy a vague search for some sort of meaning and purpose in life, we now know what true meaning is: to serve and work for God, His Kingdom and eternity, storing up treasures in this life for the next. Our newfound perspective re-orients our purpose(s) in life to its truest and real goals.
This true and awakened purpose is ultimately fully meaningful. Investing in a life devoted to God’s work pays dividends for us, others and God forever. It is the ultimate return on investment.
We are in fact pilgrims on Earth for our real home lies in the life ahead in heaven. For now we must instill within us the desire to see opportunities for God’s work to appear before us. This is a great and ultimate responsibility.
However desiring God’s work to appear before you and desiring to accomplish work for God are only the first steps. “Investing in a life devoted to God’s work pays dividends for us, others and God forever. It is the ultimate return on investment.”
The desire for His work to appear before you furnishes your heart with the right attitude, that of the servant who wishes only to serve Him, but we must also prepare our hearts and minds for said work.
For surely if you pray that God employ you in His divine work and desire that He present opportunities for you, then He will indeed and you must be prepared.
This involves the responsibilities of preparing your mind, knowing the Scriptures, being able to act out God’s love and being able to give an answer “to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (I Peter 3:15, KJV).
Does the weight of this responsibility trouble you? Do not let it. Simply pray and learn from your church, Godly friends, mentors and from His Word.
Remember it is by no mistake that the author of these words, Moses, is the one to present them to us. For He was the one who when God visited him in the desert replied, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11, KJV).
Moses certainly did not think himself ready for service, but remember God’s response, “Certainly I will be with thee;” (Exodus 3:12, KJV). He will be with you too and this includes in the midst of the work He has for you to do.“Desiring for opportunities to serve God in your life and preparing your heart and mind for them is the mark of a mature and maturing Christian.”
Desiring for opportunities to serve God in your life and preparing your heart and mind for them is the mark of a mature and maturing Christian.
The mature Christian does not just desire that God present Him with great work to do for Him and His Kingdom however. He also desires that God’s glory appear before his children. This is referring to our children.
Sons and daughters will come most eagerly and excitedly to Jesus when they see their parents live in service to Him. Their service, when done with a prepared heart and right attitude, will be winsome to their children and others.
How many times have children gone astray because the burden given them by their parents to “work” for God was nothing more than forced upon them?
How many children have seen their parents follow after God blindly or without the necessary commitment or zeal that is the mark of a genuine servant?
Many parents who have raised their children in a Christian home wonder why their child goes astray and rebels by adulthood, or sometimes sooner.
While ultimately a child can go his own way irrespective of what he is taught, having the glory of God appear before him through the service of his parents to God can certainly help curtail his desire to go astray. Glory is not dogmatic, it is not legalistic, it is not boring, it is glorious! It is winsome!
This then should be the desire of the parent: “Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.”
When this is accomplished dear reader, children will naturally flock toward God’s work and develop a life of service for themselves.
Glory also enables them to stand in awe of God and to share that awe with others. We share the glorious not the mundane. We want more of the glorious not the moribund.
Let us also allow the beauty or favor of the Lord to be upon us.
17) And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.Psalm 90:17 (KJV)
You see, serving God is not always easy, in fact many times it is difficult. However it is the greatest thing you can do in this life.
It establishes the work of our hands. Establishing means giving permanence to and making successful. We want our works to last and through Him they will, for true success comes from God and serving Him. Remember, it is the ultimate return on investment: it pays dividends for all eternity.
Now then let His favor be upon us. Let Him establish the works of our hands. Let His work appear before us, His glory before our children and let us desire and prepare ourselves spiritually and mentally for His service.
Amen.