1 Peter 2:3-4 - Adornment

“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.”

2000 years ago, women chased the latest fashions and spent inordinate amounts of money to look good and attract men. Sounds like today doesn’t it? I’ll ease your fears up front, Peter does not say that women are prohibited from taking care of themselves, dressing up, or looking nice; he says women should not fool themselves into thinking outward appearance is the source of their beauty.

Genuine beauty comes from the inside, not the outside. Actually, everything of worth comes from the inside – that is why God said to Samuel when he was selecting the new king of Israel:

“…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

I am confident that you know the truth of this passage. My question is this: do you really KNOW it? Too often we give mental assent to biblical truth without allowing it to change our thoughts and actions. Does the truth that your beauty comes from the inside change the way you dress, shop, and feel about yourself? It should.

You are beautiful because God Himself knit you together inside your mother’s womb. He made you like you are because it made Him happy to make you that way. He gave you talents and gifts to glorify His name and He allowed weakness so you would learn to rely on Him and on others. (Sin has created more weakness and faults in our lives but that is a topic for another day.) The more you embrace and cultivate that inner beauty, the more attractive you become – inside and out.

God created you – beautifully, I might add – to be of service in the Kingdom of God, in the world, and in the lives of others.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

That is the purpose of your life – to do the good work that God has prepared for you. You get no extra points for wearing the most fashionable jeans, an amazing sweater, or the cutest shoes ever. I have a feeling that God is neither pleased, nor honored in the amount of time and money we spend looking good on the outside at the expense of cultivating the inside.

So how about it ladies; do you spend more time on your outward beauty than your inward beauty? Do you spend more money shopping for things you don’t need than you do helping those who are desperately in need? Do you spend more time getting ready in the morning than you do in prayer? Do you seek to look good in the sight of man instead of in the sight of God? Your beauty comes from the inside, not from outward adornment.

Allow God’s grace to wash away your need to compete and compare yourself to others. Spend time cultivating your inner beauty –which is Christ in you – and you’ll be shocked how quickly your concern for the latest trends will fade away. And that my friends, is called freedom.

**A quick word for the guys – do you perpetuate the myth that looks are all that matters? Do you affirm and encourage the internal beauty – the sweet spirit, the love for others, the servant heart – you see in your female friends, or do you only comment about the external beauty you see? A simple change in your attitude will really help your sisters in Christ.