Sample Articles

Extra from Volume 10#3

by Alyssa H.

Inward beauty only comes from the Holy Spirit residing within, which begins at the point of salvation. He purges and cleanses our hearts, bringing holiness into our hearts and thus our lives. "For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation" ~ Psalm 149:4. We need to ask the Lord for His beauty to radiate through us. It's not a matter of working on it in our own effort, it is asking God for it. "Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us" ~ Psalm 90:17. By spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer, your heart will be changed in taking on Christ's beauty. "O Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness" ~ Psalm 96:9.

God's primary concern is the hearts of His children. "But the LORD said unto Samuel, 'Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him, for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart' " ~ 1 Samuel 16:7.

"Jesus saith, 'Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you...for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity' " ~ Matthew 23:25-28.

What you wear reflects your heart. Think about the contrast...

Outward Beauty Vs. Inward Beauty

Physical vs. Spiritual

Temporal vs. Eternal

Empty (Vain) vs. Fulfilling

World's ideal vs. God's ideal

Focus is on self vs. Focus is on the Lord and others

Impacts others outwardly vs. Impacts others inwardly

"For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away; But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." ~ 1 Peter 1:24-25.

We shouldn't be too careless or too worried about our outward appearance. There needs to be a balance. The Lord expects us to take care how we present ourselves and yet still keep our main focus on our hearts' condition. Consider it this way,

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day...If you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm...The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!" ~ Sam Levenson

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