One great benefit & blessing I enjoy from all my study is the vast array of rich Biblical truth that I come across from all different sources. I found the following extrapolation in The Rich Single Life; Abundance, Opportunity & Purpose in God by Andrew Farmer. (No, I’m not contemplating leaving my husband, just enjoying this book with a friend.)
I hope you are encouraged and challenged with this as I was….
Inner Adornment – The Fruit of the SpiritOne of the greatest challenges women face in the pursuit of godliness is the temptation to focus on outward appearance. This is not a new problem. 1 Pet. 3:3-4 warns women not to evaluate their beauty by ‘outward adornment’ but instead by the ‘inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit’.
Paul’s description of this inner quality is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). While men and women should both desire to produce this fruit, it can be particularly helpful to women in their battle against the cultural obsession with outward striving or adornment. The following definitions of the fruit of the Spirit may be helpful to meditate on:
Love – a sacrificial commitment to the welfare of another person regardless of that person’s response, and regardless of what he or she might give me in return.
Joy – a deep, abiding, inner thankfulness to God for his goodness, that remains uninterrupted when less desirable circumstances of life intrude.
Peace – a heartfelt tranquility and trust that does not disappear during the storms of life, because it is anchored in the overwhelming consciousness that I am in the hand of God.
Patience – a quality of self restraint that does not retaliate in the midst of provoking situations.
Kindness – a sensitive awareness and willingness to seek out ways in which to serve others.
Goodness – an unswerving capacity to deal with people rightly as God defines that term, even when they need correction.
Faithfulness - an inner loyalty that results in remaining true to my spiritual convictions and commitments.
Gentleness – controlled strength dispensed from a humble heart.
Self – Control – an inward personal mastery that submits my desires to the greater cause of God’s will.
(This complete excerpt is from page 38)May we consider each of these and examine our own lives…do some Spirit-led fruit inspection & focus our attention on true beauty.
Then cultivate and fertilize our own heart by spending time with & pursuing affection for the Master Gardener, also known as the True Vine, from which all our fruit (our lasting beauty) comes. (John 15)
Thanks for the reminder. God's word gives us hope to attain beauty worth pursuing. It's hard to get our minds wrapped around the truth of that sometimes cause we are so caught up in the temporal and the face in the mirror, but like you said-we need to allow Christ to cultivate us so that we grow toward him, like a plant stretching upward, seeking the Son.
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