Patricia's Principles for Living

As I considered my life the following verse offers a great deal of comfort. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”” 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV As we get older our physical beauty fades and strength diminishes. This is an expected part of the aging process as we make our journey to our long home. I am so glad that God is looking at the heart and not at my physical appearance. All the Botox treatments face lifts and liposuction cannot hide or improve an evil heart. Everyday I want my heart spirit to look more like Christ. Dear God search my heart and see if there is any wicked way in me and renew in me a right spirit.

The old adage states that beauty is only skin deep. Well lasting beauty is really unfading. It has to do with the state of one’s spirit. I’ve actually met people who by industry standards would not necessarily be called physically attractive. In fact the Bible makes it very clear that Jesus would not have made the cover of GQ. The Bible states there was no beauty that we should desire Him. In other words people walked by Him and took no notice. He was not an Absalom, a handsome but vain man, who had women standing around while he got his haircut and weighed once a year. No, Christ’s attractiveness was that of His spirit. We know from the story of Esther that there are many beautiful people in various countries and of various races. Even with six months of oil and six months of perfumed baths if the inner person is not beautified with a gentle and quiet spirit the person is not very useful to God. Inner beauty is cultivated by keeping a humble spirit, being prudent and holding back the...

Some women have achieved today’s’ fashionable pouty look by receiving silicone injections in their lips. They pay and endure the pain to keep up with the Hollywood trend setters. Isn’t it amazing that Proverbs enjoins us to also enhance the look of our mouths. Listen to Solomon’s words written thousands of years ago, “The lips of knowledge are a precious thing.” In order to have truly beautiful lips we should speak with the knowledge of God in or hearts and minds. Now that type of lip operation would have God’s stamp of approval.