Published on 6/28/16
Hey y'all! It's been a while, sorry. (And yes, I am aware that I seem to say something like that every time I write).
But this time I actually have a reason. Two friends that I know from church run this facebook/instagram page, Verse of the Night. I've followed it and enjoyed it for quite some time, and several months ago I actually had the opportunity joined them. One of us posts a verse every night and then breaks it down and talks about it a little bit. So, I've been spending some time studying verses and writing about them which kind of made me lose interest in blogging for a little while.
Long story short, while looking at Proverbs 31:30, I wanted to post it for Verse of the Night but I realized that I just had so much to say about it that it required an entire blog post.
Here's the verse:
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30 ESV
So, sorry guys, but I chose this verse for the girls. Because I think it’s a really important topic. A weird, uncomfortable, sometimes overdone and cliche kind of topic, but still important.
I think the first part is pretty simple, “charm is deceitful and beauty is vain”. We think beauty is something incredible to be sought out for..but God tells us something different. This beauty distracts us from our Kingdom purpose. When we set our sights on being pretty, flirty, cute, etc., we lose sight of God.
Ever hear that saying "you can serve money, or you can serve God, but you cannot serve both". It applies here as well...just, we're not talking about money. You can serve yourself and your desires, or you can serve God. But you can't serve both. See, we were bought at a price, (that price was Jesus’s life), so that we would honor Him. Not so that we would slander our bodies and disrespect God’s handiwork. We want to look like the rest of the world, and don't realize how dangerous that is.
The second part is “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”. When I was little I used to think "I don't want to be afraid of God! He's my friend." But now that I'm older, I get it. It's not like a bad fear...it's a healthy fear. Like, the kind of fear you have of your parents. I know that if I disobey them there will be consequences, and it's the same kind of relationship that we're talking about here. It's not so much "fear" as it is respect. The way you respect the Lord reveals a lot about you, that's for sure. It affects your whole life. If we were not fearful and respectful of Him, we would not obey Him. We would just do what we want, like a child who pays no mind to the discipline from their parents.
So, I think the point in that is...don't fear the way that the world will see you, but fear the way that God will see you. Decide who's approval/opinion you are seeking.
As hard as it is, we have to look ourselves in the mirror every single day and say "I am made beautiful and perfect in His image. He loves me, He chose me. And I chose Him. I will set my eyes upon Him and I will not be conformed to this world.". We have to look at what we're wearing, what we're participating in, what we're singing along to, etc., and decide if it reflects Jesus in us..or if it reflects the world.
Or something like that.
Thanks for reading,
Faith
