Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious ~1 Peter 3:3-4.
I admit that I like sparkly clothes and jewelry. Some would think this is sinful, and I have pondered my motives, but I don’t think it is wrong to look nice. The sin comes when we are dressing extravagantly to be noticed or we are beautifying the outside to cover up the darkness inside.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean” ~Matthew 23:25-26.
Are you one of those who doesn’t want anyone to know what you’re really like so you dress extra nicely, paint a smile on your face, say “thank you” to all the compliments, and then go back and live your selfish, greedy life? This world needs to see reality, and if all we have to offer is a facade, they will see through that. Your family will also see this and very possibly will reject Christianity if you do not make some changes.
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities ~Isaiah 64:6-7.
Too often, pride keeps us from humbling ourselves in repentance and yet Isaiah tells us that, if we don’t turn from our sins, God will hide His face and we will die in those sins. That is a terrifying thought!
As you get dressed each morning, I hope you will take time to not only fuss with your outside appearance but to examine your heart as well. Is your beauty only skin deep or does God’s light shine from your heart, making your whole countenance beautiful? This should be our goal.
Too often, pride keeps us from humbling ourselves in repentance and yet Isaiah tells us that, if we don’t turn from our sins, God will hide His face and we will die in those sins.
This is so spot on. And yet this is what we see more and more in America and here in Canada. The world tells us to be proud of who we are. The Bible tells us the opposite. As alway thank you Sony.