Imperishable Beauty

, , , , & 18, Psalm 32:8

This devo is prepared for young ladies (10-18).

Today, I want to read with you all. It says,

“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

I’ve read this passage before, and I’m sure you’ve heard it as well, but I want to encourage you with what it has to say. Let’s really slow down and read it again.

“Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-”

Is it saying that we shouldn’t look nice? I looked up the meaning for the word adorning, hoping that it would help it make more sense. The word is used for ‘adorning’ actually is the same word for ‘world’! It’s the greek word ‘kosmos’ which is the where we get our word for cosmetics, interestingly enough.

In the days of Peter, who wrote this book of the Bible, the women were focused on the outward, with jewelry and braiding of their hair. It’s funny, once I had braided my hair before going to church, and my friend told me that I shouldn’t have it braided because the Bible said that you shouldn’t have braided hair at church. They were a little confused, but I now know that they were referring to these verses. I’m pretty sure that Peter isn’t saying that we can’t braid our hair, wear gold jewelry, or wear fancy outfits. Rather, He is saying that our adorning, or our cosmetics (which is what we rely to be beautiful) need to be something else.

So I have a question. Why do we care about the outward look?

For me, when I feel like my outfit or hair is on point then I feel much better about myself. I feel ready to take on the world. But how easily can I compare myself or can my outfit get messed up and then I no longer have that security.

I often think about people when I pick out my outfit. What certain people will think. Depending on who I’m going to be with effects my outward.

It really comes down to myself.

Let’s keep reading. In verse 4 it says, “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart”

The word ‘hidden’ means secret or concealed. And the word ‘person’ is talking about you and me.

When people see us they see our bodies. Our skin and clothes and makeup and smile. In a way then, we have two ‘persons’. Our outer one and our inner, hidden one. A lot of times, it is easier to focus on our outer person because it’s what everyone sees. Our entire world is focused on the outer. We can see that this is a huge focus pretty much everywhere we go. And though it’s not always wrong, Peter is saying that our beauty needs to be something that we can’t see in a mirror. In this verse, we are being told to let our adorning be the hidden person of the heart. So how exactly does this happen? How exactly do we focus on our hidden person?

The rest of the verse goes on to say, “with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

The rest of the verse goes on to say, “

First off, I think it’s so neat to think of God seeing us as precious. The word is translated as ‘very costly, rare, or luxurious’. To God, it is a rare and very valuable thing when someone has this inward beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Our adorning is to be of a gentle and quiet spirit. And by adorning I mean our cosmetics or the things which we put on to make us beautiful.

So how do we have a gentle and quiet spirit?

The word gentle means to be humble or meek.

Gentle means kind. I often think of a little kid who hits and then their mom takes their hand and shows them how to gently touch. We need to be the same. Striving to be kind.

Jesus is a perfect example of someone who is gentle. In , He says “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus is gentle and He says that we are to take His yoke upon Him and learn from Him. He will teach us how it is we can be gentle and humble. Humility is defined as ‘a modest or low view of one’s importance’. When we learn from Jesus, who is the perfect Son of God, it humbles us as we realize who we are in comparison. It is easier to love others and serve them when we think less of ourselves in comparison to Jesus.

In , He says “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

The other thing mentioned is to have a quiet spirit. Interestingly, one definition is ‘being untroubled and free from disturbances, especially free of noise and uproar’. In Jesus says “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So if having a quiet spirit is being free from disturbances then this verse is saying that through God’s Word, which is the truth (), we can have freedom. God’s Word is truth and by trusting in it we can be free from the things that cause us to be troubled because we can trust in the truth in the Bible. Being focused on the truth of the Bible is necessary to be quiet in such a loud world.

Gentle spirit-being meek, focusing on others.

2. Quiet spirit-believing in God’s word so that the noise of the world won’t get in our head

Becoming beautiful in our hidden person is is a continuing process. God says that “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” () This is a work that God will do in us.

Notice, that the verse says that this beauty is imperishable. If you read it says, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Our outer bodies are going to eventually start to get older, get wrinkles, and lose some of the abilities that we now have. Our teeth might fall out, and our hair is going to turn grey.

But what is so cool is that our inner person is being renewed day by day. It is being made new. Just like a baby is so perfect looking. So tiny and smooth and smells so good, our ‘hidden man’ is being made new day by day! It’s really exciting to think about. As our ‘outer man’ will stop being dependable, God will renew us day by day ‘as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.’ ()

Every morning, (or at least almost every morning), we spend time getting our outer person ready for the day. We choose our clothes, shower, fix our hair, brush our teeth, etc. How much time are we spending getting our inner man ready for the day? In order to adorn ourselves with a gentle and quiet spirit, we must be spending time in God’s Word. It is the truth that will make us free us from the noise of the world. It is the lessons from Jesus that we can learn from Him and become humble. Are you spending more time on the outer person which will fade away or on the inner person which is imperishable? Let’s focus on what is truly important.

How much time are we spending getting our inner man ready for the day? In order to adorn ourselves with a gentle and quiet spirit, we must be spending time in God’s Word. It is the truth that will make us free us from the noise of the world. It is the lessons from Jesus that we can learn from Him and become humble. Are you spending more time on the outer person which will fade away or on the inner person which is imperishable? Let’s focus on what is truly important. In the mornings take that time to read God’s Word and pray.

verse in ot about God wanting girls to look like girls, etc. decency and in order.

IMPERISHABLE beauty

gentle and quiet

gentle=meek?

(moses was meek)