2 Chronicles 20:21
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto
the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went
out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth
for ever.”
There is nothing that sets the usefulness and beauty of a house apart from others like a house that is magnificently decorated. The same house can have little decorations, and it won’t seem as beautiful and desirable to a person buying a house as it would if it was beautifully decorated. The decoration is what sets it apart from the rest in the eyes of an outsider.
God said in the verse above, “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness…” The word “beauty” means decorated. When Jehoshaphat dedicated the temple, it was the singers who praised the LORD that brought beauty to their holiness. In other words, these people were already living a holy life, but the praise of the LORD in song is what brought decoration and beauty to the holy life. It was their praising attitude that made their holy living desirable to those who saw it.
God commands the Christian in 1 Peter 1:16, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Living a holy life is not an option for the Christian. The word “holy” means to be set apart. In other words, God commands the Christian to be set apart from the world. One of the greatest needs today is for Christians to be holy. The Christian who lives like the world will never influence people for Christ like the Christian who lives a holy life. Furthermore, the Christian who lives a holy life won’t see the heartache of the world’s influences on their children as those who live in the world. There are great benefits to living a holy life.
However, the Christian must never forget to decorate their holy living. According to the verse above, the praises of the LORD in song is what brought beauty to their holiness. There is nothing worse than a Christian who uses their holy living as a sword to hurt those who don’t live a holy life. I believe every Christian should live holy, but you don’t have to be a jerk while you live a life of holiness. You can have a good attitude while living a holy life. If your attitude matched God’s attitude like your living matches God’s character, you would find you could influence many more people for Christ. You shouldn’t just desire for your life to match God’s character, but you should also desire to decorate your holy living with Christ’s joyful attitude. Nothing brings more beauty to holy living like a joyful attitude.
Moreover, it would help you to have a singing heart to decorate your holy living. Singing always tends to make people look happier. I am not telling you to manufacture a fake joy by forcing yourself to sing, but I am challenging you to get the joy of the LORD in your soul which will result in a singing heart. When the joy from your heart matches the tune in your whistle or song, you will find others will see the beauty of holiness and desire to have what you possess.
Psalm 96:2 commands, “Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.” My friend, holy living is a command for every Christian, but don’t forget to decorate your holy lifestyle with the beauty of praise. People enjoy seeing happy people, and when you expose your happiness in song and praise, it will make your holy lifestyle not only palatable, but desirable to those who see it.