Devotional by Emily North
1 Peter 3:3-4: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and 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.”
These two verses are always a struggle for me. They are easy to know in my head, and a lot harder to believe with my heart. It’s so easy to get caught up in what I look like and compare myself to others. But ultimately, that’s not what God is looking at. He looks at the heart of each one of us, knowing us more completely than we even know ourselves. God is pleased when we strive to become more like Him.
Which is great, but what does that actually mean for my daily life? Does this mean I should never wear jewelry? Only wear a potato sack for clothes? Nope! It is important to remember that cultural context of the churches to whom Peter was writing. In many of the cities, pagan worship involved sex with the priestesses in the temples, and the priestesses of whichever god or goddess was worshipped in that city typically wore lots of jewelry and the finest clothes. Knowing that, we can see the heart of this instruction is to set the Church apart from non-believers. That is a standard that is still applicable today. As believers, we are called to behave ourselves in a way that supports our witness that Christ is our Lord and Savior. We are measured against that standard in all aspects of our lives: how we speak, how we treat others, how we dress, and so many more places. That doesn’t mean abandon all your jewelry and nice clothes, but to take a step back and make sure that your heart is chasing God above all else and your appearance reflects that.
So, if we are not judged on our physical appearance, and God values the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,” how do we have one? I always draw back a little when I read that description, because it feels like I am being told that I need to be quiet and timid. That’s wrong. The spirit God wants for us comes from spending time in His word, praying, and resting in Him. A gentle spirit is a fruit from God. God provides us the ability to become more like Him and grow in each of the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, and gentleness. A gentle spirit comes from God guiding us to be more like him. But what about a quiet spirit? Do I need to stop talking? No, it’s an inner quietness that comes from peace. It is the calmness that comes from trusting God with everything in you and knowing He loves you and has a plan to use you for the glory of the kingdom.
Easier said than done, right? The first steps are to regularly be in God’s word and in prayer. Nothing is too small to bring to God in prayer. The deeper your relationship with God becomes, the easier it is to trust Him and let your spirit feel the peace in trusting Him.
With that, here are a few things I’m praying for in response to this passage:
- That I don’t put physical appearance above inner character when looking at myself and others
- To have the strength to trust God with everything
- To feel God’s love for those around me
- That God reveals which fruits of the spirit need improvement in my life
ellievsbear
blakekathryn
tangentwithtanner
turnnoffyourmind