The more I read it,
The more it’s meaning and purpose in Scripture becomes more clear to me and,
The more thankful I am for,
the word beautiful.
He [God] has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. – Ecclesiastes 3:11
But what is beauty to God? To regard something as beautiful, it must meet our own definition and concept of beauty. The fact that beauty is an individual concept is understood, however, many don’t realize that God’s concept of beauty is also His own. No one defines for God His concept of beauty. If a person is beautiful to God, they fit God’s concept of beauty. For example, God never uses one’s outward physical appearance to determine beauty. When the prophet Samuel examined Jesse’s sons in search of the next king of Israel, he was impressed with Eliab’s appearance. God told Samuel: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. 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).**
Nothing in a person’s outward appearance impresses God. God looks upon the inner beauty, the beauty of one’s heart.
So, what is beautiful in God’s eyes?
Recognizing the qualities God has cherished in the lives of other people is one way to determine His concept of beauty. Noah’s implicit trust in God led him to construct a gigantic boat miles from water. Abraham trusted God’s promise so implicitly that he would have sacrificed his own son without hesitation. Moses yielded total control of his life to God and became quite the man of meekness (strength under control). David gave his whole life to doing the will of God. Did he do it perfectly? No, but he had a heart for God like he had never had before his depth of repentance. In all these qualities God saw great beauty.**
The qualities God wants in His people further reveal His concept of beauty.
- The beatitudes reveal some of God’s standards of beauty.
- An awareness of one’s spiritual poverty
- Being a peacemaker
- Keeping a living faith while enduring physical hardships
- Controlling the tongue – spoken and written words
- Making sacrifices for the good of others
- Living by Christian convictions in the face of ridicule, rejection and accusation
- All these are beautiful attributes to God.
Spiritual beauty must never be taken for granted or be neglected. We must remember that just as it is possible to be one of society’s most impressive people and not be beautiful in the eyes of God, it is also possible to be an unknown in society and to be radiantly beautiful in His eyes.**
**gotquestions.org for more on this topic **”What does the Bible say about Beauty”
I’ve been dwelling on the fact that our own mouth (with either spoken or written words) reflects decisions, mind-sets, and attitudes that are stored up in my heart. It is the Word of God that says this:
For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. – Matthew 12:34
And what was stored up in Jesus’ heart that day when He met the Samaritan woman was heard so compassionately – it was the compassionate will of His Father. It was His own obedience caressed in His care-filled words. Christ’s heart overflowed beautifully toward her in how He spoke to her. The Lord does not accuse you, blame you, shame you, or in any way make you feel as though your hurt and pain is trivial. That is the way the enemy of Christ and the accuser of the brethern speaks. Revelation 2:10 makes it very clear how the accuser works.
Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night.
Satan, the accuser, does two things relentlessly: 1) accuses believers, and 2) keeps bringing charges against the believers before God day and night.
For those two reasons alone, we should not ever (and if you have printed this off for your bible study binder) underline the words “not ever” use our own speech (spoken or written) in these ways. To accuse or to keep records of wrongs or to bring charges against another believer grieves God.
Ephesians 4:30-31 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him], by whom you were sealed and marked [branded as God’s own] for the day of redemption [the final deliverance from the consequences of sin]. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].
Friend, know that the experiences you’ve had and may be still having that has caused you to feel deep grief and suffocating sorrow … it all deeply matters to Him. He is a loving Father who isn’t listening to someone else’s opinion about you. He is not considering someone else’s assessment of you before He determines His own compassionate and personal involvement in your life. He wants you to see Him in all His glory! He wants you to know through experience the depth of His love and joy over you. He wants to surprise you again and again with His grace and mercy! He finds delight in forgiving you of every sin, removing them as far as the east is from the west, and remember thing no more. He has chosen to wash you daily in His new mercies so you can live alive.
For the Lord has comforted His people. And will have compassion on His afflicted. – Isaiah 49:13.
Again, underline the words, “And will have…” He will have compassion. And He is not waiting for someone else to give Him the go-ahead. He’s only waiting on you and on me to choose to be comforted actively by Him.
And remember … nothing you go through, no new reality that you never saw coming, no change that you didn’t want, will ever erase this next verse from describing how God sees you as He looks at your heart that is fully surrendered to Him.
Behold, how beautiful you are, my darling. Behold, how beautiful you are! – Song of Solomon 1:15
