Grace and Glory.

Psalm 23:2-3
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

This scripture reading is accompanied by an abundance of cheerful and pastoral imagery. It's cheerful because it's reassuring, pastoral because it's peaceful.

I've been working on a Spanish project over the last few days. I, along with a group of friends, had to create a commercial for a Spanish-speaking country. We decided to do Ecuador. One of the things that many sources said was that many areas in Ecuador, especially along the coast, are quiet and tranquil. Still, there's some areas that are popular tourist attractions, of course.

While we didn't go to Ecuador to film this commercial, we filmed it at the beach here and it was a gorgeous day. The weather was comfortable, the sky was clear, and the water was calm.

It's those peaceful moments that sometimes go unnoticed. We don't slow down enough from our normal routine to pay attention to the pristine parts of the world. Essentially, we become selfish and unappreciative of God's creations. That's why the Lord, our Shepherd, tells us to take it easy sometimes. This may involve laying down and absorbing our surroundings.

The Lord knows that we need comfort and relief and he wants us to find those "green pastures" and "quiet waters." Once we are comforted by his beauty, he guides us to "paths of righteousness." He wants us to experience holiness. Therefore, God's priorities are GRACE followed by GLORY. He is more concerned that we notice the comforting beauty to and fro...for then it is easier to be righteous and holy.

I couldn't find the official video, but nonetheless here's a beautiful song that goes along with today's devotion: "Holiness." (The lyrics are below)



P.S. If you have trouble with the video stopping and starting, keep the video paused, and let it "buffer" (load) as it's called for a while. You will see the red bar along the bottom advance (speed depends on your Internet connection). Wait until that bar gets pretty far along (I'd say more than halfway) before you play the video and it shouldn't pause.

Here's the lyrics if you want to sing along:

Holiness, holiness is what I long for
Holiness is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You
Want from me

So, take my heart and form it
Take my mind and transform it
Take my will and conform it
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord

Righteousness is what I long for
Righteousness is what I need
Righteousness, Righteousness is what
You want from me

So, take my heart and form it
Take my mind and transform it
Take my will and conform it
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord

Faithfulness is what I long for
Faithfulness is what I need
Faithfulness, Faithfulness is what
You want from me

So, take my heart and form it
Take my mind and transform it
Take my will and conform it
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord