Charm and Beauty

..it is very beautiful, but this tree does not bear any fruit. Its looks can be deceiving, but it was given its name only because it has leaves that resemble the color found in plums. Proverbs 31:30 says, Cham is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” If charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, then charm and beauty are things that I shouldn’t be pursuing as much as I should be pursuing to be a woman who fears the Lord. Hebrew 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Charm and beauty is not itself sinful, but it can be an encumbrance, a weight, that makes running the race with endurance more difficult. However, it may become sinful if it becomes vain, or if it is used to deceive others. If charm and beauty can be an encumbrance, or even cause more temptation to sin, why do I pursue it so much? Sisters, lets pursue the things that cause us to Fear the Lord. Brothers, value the Fear of the Lord in your sisters, over their beauty. An Investor’s intent is to put their money in stocks that are going to grow in their value. What kind of beauty grows, and kind fades? Beauty can be found in a brand new car, but what happens to its value once it is driven off of the lot? Much of its value is lost. The value of a new car is temporary, and it will not last. I do not want that kind of beauty that does not last, and I’m tired of being distracted by its shine that fades. Not the distraction of an actual car, but the distraction of pursuing outward beauty with more might than the beauty found in the character that accompanies it. I pray that we will want what will last, rather than what is only temporary. The beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is imperishable in God’s eyes and considered precious in His sight, and that is what I should be pursuing. The desire to be like that new car that everyone wants, lusts after, and is eager to drive off of the lot needs to be put to death, so that I can run this race not only with endurance, but with my eyes fixed on Jesus!

John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Colossians 1:9-10 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."