It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from within you - the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God.
1 Peter 3:3-4
The women of ancient Rome were much like many women today. They worked hard to be beautiful. Elaborate hairstyles made up of tiny knots plaited with gold and jewels and then piled high on the head were all the rage in biblical times. Once drawback was that fashionable Roman women feared going to sleep lest they muss their hairdos. But those women wholeheartedly believed that their passion for fashion was worth the extra effort, because beauty was what they thought was going to keep their husbands faithful, satisfied with them alone. Fashion trends today tend toward plastic surgery, excessive dieting, and a closet full of haute couture clothing. Women's (and yes even men's) motivations haven't changed much at all in some two thousand years. People strive to look beautiful so that others will perceive them as valuable and desirable. The apostle Peter directed his readers to refocus from external beauty to internal beauty. From what fades to what is eternal. From what pleases men to what pleases God.
True lasting beauty is found in a heart that rests secure in God's love. That gentle and quiet spirit doesn't need to strive for attention. It is adorned with spiritual instead of physical riches. I spoke in my blog yesterday of honoring our body as God's temple, but I want to clarify that when we do that it should be to care for what God has given us and to give him a Holy place to come into. Not for others to say "Check him out" or "Check her out!"Authentic inner beauty, and not artificial glamour, attracts others to what is truly valuable - the unique person whom God holds precious in his sight.
Selah people' and friends Peter's words are not a call to dowdiness. They are merely a reminder to keep your priorities straight when it comes to becoming a beautiful person. Concentrate on what matters most - the inside, not the outside.
"Peace be with you as you focus on your beauty that is inside you, that is what counts the most to Christ."
Your pastor,
Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)
Via mobile: Rolling toward Orlando, Florida ~ Next stop Disney World.
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