PURSUE AN INNER BEAUTY

1 Peter 3:1-7    

Friday, 25 October 2024

“Your beauty… it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” -1Peter 3: 3,4

Women [men, not an exception] these days go to great lengths to remain young and beautiful. It is so interesting to see the number of beauty salons that are on the increase, each advertising how they can make us look better than what we are, making us believe that we are not good enough.

The ‘world’ lays a great emphasis on our outward appearance, but the ‘Word’ has something so different to tell us today. God (through the Apostle Peter) is telling us, to take time to work on our inner self.

When the prophet, Samuel went out looking for a person to anoint as king, he fell into the same deception we all fall into. He thought God was looking for someone handsome and tall and strong, the qualifications one has to have to become a King. At first, he was carried away by the charisma of the young men paraded before him, till he heard a gentle admonishing from the Lord saying, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). God’s choice of a King for the nation Israel was so different from the worldly standards.

Speaking to my sisters: Today as women in the corporate world and in the marketplaces, how can we be different from the women around us who display such confidence, beauty and assertiveness that sometimes we feel so insignificant? How can we be successful without following the worldly pattern yet have a demeanor that make us so distinctively different?

When we look at the life of King David, God calls him a man after God’s own heart. This statement was the main reason that made him so different from all the other kings, that he is remembered even to this day. It was his personal relationship, his closeness with God that he had all through his life that caused him to have a heart that was beautiful. The more time he spent with God the more God-like in nature he became. That’s time spent beautifying the inner self!

Romans 12:2 NCV says: “Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” In a selfish and self-centred world, the only way to be different is to have a life that is overflowing with love, compassion, patience and kindness. This can be received only when we spend more time with God where our disposition is molded and shaped into something so beautiful that people around us are blessed. Christ-like qualities seen through us will make people to be drawn toward us which can help us influence them.

God is looking for people to impact the world. He is not looking for great qualifications or abilities or talents. He is simply looking for women/men who are willing to be changed into His likeness. Just visualize the blessing and influence we would be in our respective roles - whether it be wives/ husbands; sisters/brothers; friends, etc.

Will you allow the world around you see the beauty of Jesus in you?

Think on it:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30