How Beautiful

February 14, 2024

More recent notes are posted at the bottom.

October 19, 2022

1 Peter 3:3-5

Take Time to Pray

Psalm 89:1-2

1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;

          with my mouth I will make Your

                    faithfulness known through all

                    generations.

2 I will declare that Your love stands firm forever.

          that You established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Examine

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, 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. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.

Notice

God

·       God cares about inner, not out beauty.

·       God sees what is in all the corners of our hearts.

·       God sees trust in Him as beauty.

Lesson

·       There is nothing wrong with looking nice and taking care of ourselves, but we must never forget where true beauty comes from.

·       True beauty comes from the inside.

·       True beauty is seen in our faith, which through Jesus washes away our ugly sin.

·       Men need to look past the outward appearance to see the true beauty of a woman.

Do

Question

·       How can I show my true beauty today?

Response

·       Make dinner

February 12, 2024

Does it seem a bit strange to include marriage guidelines in a letter to Christians who are being persecuted? When you look at the letter as a whole, this is in a section that starts with obeying the government. It seems he is going through ways to keep their lives stable and relationships strong during a time they would need to lean on them.

As to the passage itself, Peter isn't saying that wearing jewelry, doing your hair, and wearing nice clothing are wrong. It's the motivation and what is in the heart that matters. Today, wearing jewelry and doing our hair is just a part of everything day life. But it is what is on the inside that truly counts. What is the condition of our heart? Are we in turmoil, grabbing at things of this world to satisfy us? Or are we at peace, trusting in God? Or are we caught somewhere in between - fighting against things that keep us from truly trusting God and enjoying His peace. That is what God wants for us - to trust Him and enjoy His peace. Then we can reflect that peace to the world. And that reflection of God's love and peace is what will make us beautiful. People will see that beauty and wonder where it comes from. That curiosity can lead people to ask questions and give us openings to share the Gospel.

Is this easy to do? No, not in this sinful world with all of its distractions. Is it worth it? Definitely. When I stop focusing on my physical beauty and focus instead on Jesus' beauty, it changes me. I am humbled and feel peace. There are many flaws in my physical appearance, but there are no flaws in Jesus. When I am focused on Him and living for Him, I no longer notice the flaws because He has covered them over. I want that "gentle and quiet spirit." I don't want to scream, "Hey, look at me and special I am." I want to live my life in a humble way that reflects Jesus' love and compassion for the world.

Physical beauty is fleeting - just look at all the beauty products out there trying to keep us young and beautiful as long as possible. But there is a different kind of beauty that will last forever. That is the beauty of a heart reflecting Jesus' to the world. That kind of beauty will never fade.

God cares about what is in our hearts and can see into our hearts deeper that even we can. We may be able to hide our flaws from the world with physical beauty, but we cannot hide anything from God.

God's Blessings