Good Monday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
They say, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, but is that true? Beauty is the passionate pursuit of billions of people, both men and women, and the beauty aide industry is gigantic all around the world. But today, I’d like us to consider a very radical statement which may turn your concept of ‘beauty’ upside down! Here’s the statement: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles or the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, 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.” (1 Peter 3:3,4) Now what do you think of that statement, my friends?
Perhaps you wonder who said it, when and where? Peter, the disciple friend of Jesus, wrote it in his first letter, written to Christians living throughout the Roman empire in about 65ad. Peter probably wrote it while imprisoned in Rome. We know Peter was a married man for on one occasion after Jesus had finished a busy day, the record says: “Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So, Jesus went to her, took her hand and helped her up.’ (Mark 1:30,31) Then as now, women went to great lengths to enhance their natural, God given beauty. But as times grew difficult, especially for Christians under persecution, the money, clothing, jewelry and other things most women used to enhance their beauty became scarce or unaffordable for many of them. These words of Peter were not simply to encourage these women, but rather to call both men and women to a reorientation regarding our beauty, especially when considered from God’s perspective. I wonder if Peter, as he was writing this, put down his stylus and thought back to one of the most famous stories in Jewish history?
Perhaps you remember the day the prophet Samuel was sent by God to the town of Bethlehem, and specifically the house of a man named Jesse who had several sons. (1 Samuel 16) The people of Israel had demanded a human king and the first king, Saul, had failed badly. So, Samuel did as God instructed, and he arrived at Jesse’s house, but he did not tell Jesse why he had come. Jesse gathered all his sons, for it was a great honor to have the old spiritual leader of Israel in his home. But as each son passed in front of Samuel to pay him respect and greet him, Samuel sensed the Spirit of God whisper to him, ‘This man is not the one.”
Finally, after all Jesse’s sons had greeted Samuel, the old prophet was bewildered. He did not know Jesse’s family and he was confident he had heard God’s instructions correctly, so Samuel simply said to Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” (1 Samuel 16:11) Somewhat surprised Jesse responded, “Well, there is still the youngest, but he is out tending the sheep.’ Samuel responded. ‘Send for him, we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” While they waited Samuel sensed the Spirit of God say to him “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD God looks at the heart!“ (1 Sam. 16:7) And when young David came in from the fields, old Samuel sensed the Spirit say to him “Rise and anoint him, this is the one.” Samuel did anoint young David and the Spirit of God came upon David, and eventually he became the most renowned of all the kings of Israel!
Peter knew that story well and now as Peter wrote about God’s perspective on the beauty of women, I’m sure his heart was stirred, especially as he reflected on his inner self. God loved ‘the inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth to God.” Peter had written. My question for us today is WHY? Why do you think the inner self of a person, their heart, their mind, their character, their personality, their soul… why is that more important, more valuable to God than anything about our outward appearance or even our accomplishments?
Do you see how that perspective is exactly the opposite of what our world values? Could it be that PRIDE might be the core issue here? Pride draws the attention to ourselves, humility directs the attention to others, especially to God. Pride elevates us over others, humility and quiet and a quiet and gentle spirit position us to serve others. Arrogance is offensive, isn’t it? That was the sin of Satan which resulted in God thrusting him out of God’s presence.
The book of Proverbs is filled with warnings about the danger of PRIDE and history is filled with stories of how PRIDE destroyed the lives of men, women, children, kings, queens, and leaders of all kinds. Why, my friends, why don’t we learn the lesson of the great dangers of pride and other attitudes which draw attention to ourselves, or seek to be in control of our lives and our circumstances?
As you see in 1 Peter 3:1-6 Peter was led by God to write specifically for those married women who had become Christians and they were trying to honor God with their lives, yet their husbands were not believers in Jesus, and in many cases, they were persecuting their wives for their spiritual values and beliefs. Peter urges them to live their lives in such a God-honoring way that their husbands “…may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” (1 Peter 3:2)
Let’s stand in front of the mirror for a moment or two, on this Monday, my friends. What do we see when we look deeply into our own eyes? What does God see when He looks deeper… into our hearts, our minds, our attitudes? If you are in a marriage where your spouse does not believe in Jesus but you are trying to live as a follower of Jesus, do you see how these words of Peter can be helpful to you? You won’t likely debate or negotiate or demand your spouse to trust in Jesus. Rather it will be your ‘contagious Christianity’, the gentleness of your spirit, your God honoring life, that will draw your spouse to Jesus! So, let’s ponder this today. What a powerful, counterculture truth about your inner self. That is the place God works in you and me, deep in our souls. What work is God doing in your soul and how receptive are you to that Holy Spirit work? Do you welcome the penetrating work of the Word of God as you read it? Do you invite worship music to burrow down deeply into your soul and cleanse you? What do you suppose God would like to do deep in your soul in these next 11 months of 2023 and how might that change your life, your marriage, your family, your workplace, your neighborhood, your church, and your friendships? My wife Dawn actually found this great song for us today, which seems to fit so very well with how God wants to help us change how we see ourselves, our lives, our relationships. Worship my friends, and let the Spirit of God touch you deeply…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Peter 3:1-6.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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