People are obsessed with the pursuit of beauty. Every year our society spends fortunes on products designed to make us look better. Every day we are bombarded with advertisements which promise us beauty if we will only buy what is offered.
Yet, we all know that physical beauty is temporary. Though we do not like to admit it, we are well aware that the Bible is true when it says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting…” (Proverbs 31:30 NIV) No matter how many creams and lotions we buy, we cannot stop the ravages of time.
If beauty does not come out of a bottle, then where does it come from? The Apostle Peter writes, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful…” (1 Peter 3:3-5 NIV)
In other words, true beauty comes from the inside. Our inner character shows on the outside and it is what makes us beautiful or ugly. If we have allowed God’s Spirit to make us like Christ, we will be beautiful no matter what our body looks like. In contrast, if we have not allowed Christ to take away our sin, we are ugly no matter what we wear or how fair our complexion is.
When people look at us what do they see? Do they see our clothes and physical features, or do they see our character and the love of Christ radiating from our inner self?